Piano Man
by ancient-relic
Summary: When a mysterious spell lands Kagome in Konoha, her reality is shattered. She finds peace in one of the only similarities she finds: music. And as she pours what is left of her soul into her music, someone hears her call, and comes to her rescue.
1. free fallin'

**A/N: **Okay. I really shouldn't be working on this story- but it came to me in a total spur of the moment thing, and I just had to write it down and get it out of the way. So I did. This will be my first crack at writing a Sasuke/Kagome pairing, so please be sure to drop me a line, okay? GO CONSTRUCTIVE CRITISISM!

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For those of you returning, you may notice some differences. I'm going through the story and giving it a bit of a rewrite, to make the story more fluid and uniform as well as helping my ideas flow through better. Please be patient! A new chapter will come when the edits have been finished.

_EDITED: _03/05/13

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, I don't own InuYasha.

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**piano man**

**chapter one - free fallin'**

**ancient-relic**

**- o -**

Kagome Higurashi was no fool. She certainly knew a spell when she saw one.

One would have hoped that she'd be able to recognize these things after all, having spent as much time in the feudal era as she had. And so, it was an almost instantaneous realizaton when Kagome spotted Kikyo's figure amongst the trees behind the monster that Naraku had summoned; her figure crouched to the ground and her lips forming soundless words.

"InuYasha!" Kagome cried, spinning on the spot, running for the hanyou. "Watch out! Kikyo's casting a spell-"

InuYasha looked up at the sound of his lover's name, and his nose quickly sought her out amongst the trees. That was enough time for the demon to send him flying across the clearing—one of it's long, deformed arms lashing out at an increadible speed and backhanding him across the face. He spiraled roughly to the ground with a sharp grunt, the air knocked out of his lungs.

Kagome cried out as he landed painfully on the ground, watching helplessly from a distance as he struggled to rise. The tumble had cost him a leg, Kagome realized, as he flopped back to the ground in defeat. It was twisted in a sickening way, and her stomach twisted with nausea.

Miroku and Sango weren't even present; the demon arriving while the group was on a short hiatus. Sango had left for her village to do repairs to her _Hiraikotsu_, and Miroku had insisted on joining her- for he could not 'let a damsel such as herself go unaccompanied into the wilderness'. Shippo was still in the village with Kaede, thankfully safe from harm. Kagome sighed at the thought, forcing her attention away from the fallen hanyou and to the demon and the undead priestess.

She was still chanting something that Kagome couldn't make out, and her hands were moving rapidly, sprinkling strange things on the ground in the brush in front of her, all the while drawing odd patterns in the dirt.

Letting out a frustrated roar at being totally and completely ignored, the demon (who did in fact appear to be blind) twisted and moved towards her on its unsteady tree-trunk limbs. Kagome froze for a moment, watching the giant monster lumber towards her. With a shrill scream, Kagome scooped up her bag and ran for the well, where she had climbed from mere moments ago.

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_Kagome smiled to herself as she stood in the well house, sliding on her backpack strapping her things into their new homes in her outfit. Her mother had been kind enough to buy her some new, more appropriate clothing; consisting of a modernized _haori_ in a deep green that looked almost black. It had simple golden embroidery and stitching along the hems, a delicate but elegant accent. There were several pockets in the long sleeves, inside the front folds, as well as straps on the shoulders and around the waist. She wore black stretchy jeans, tight to her skin. The belt loops and pockets were helpful as well, and the jeans were light enough not to hinder her but thick enough to give some more protection._

_InuYasha had attempted to teach her how to use a sword, but it was fruitless as they both quickly found out. As a peace offering, he'd had Totosai make her a long dagger that could conduct her miko powers. It was encased in a simple leather sheath, but the handle was magnificent, made with bone and mother of pearl and ebony. Kagome wore it horizontally at the small of her back, hidden by her backpack._

_Sango too had attempted to help Kagome with combat training, but that hadn't exactly worked out the way either had expected it to. The first time Kagome tried lifting the _Hiraikotsu_, she'd lost her balance under the weight and sprained her ankle._

_Instead, Kagome became quite adept at using a _wakazishi_ attached to a chain, not unlike Kohaku's choice of weapon. InuYasha had hunted Totosai down not long after for a second dagger, matching the first one he'd given Kagome, so she would have a matching set. Kagome also carried two extra lengths of chain, one with weights on the end, and one with vicious barbs and hooks._

_Miroku had added his input almost too eagerly – InuYasha and Sango had been wary of his wandering hands. Miroku was easily able to teach Kagome how to charge a staff with her miko powers, as well as how to wield it… namely, spinning it about without whacking herself in the head. He found and bought for her a long silver staff with a small crescent moon with sharpened edges on the end. Not unlike his own, the bottom curve of the moon was pierced with three decorative silver rings._

_Kagome was overjoyed with the help from her friends; glad she finally didn't have to be so dependant on them. Looking back into the depths of the well, Kagome grinned as she secured her staff between her bag and her back, before waving farewell to her family and jumping into the well._

_InuYasha awaited her on the other side, sitting with his arms folded against a tree across the clearing. When she climbed out of the well, InuYasha was there to hoist her over the edge. Blushing, he complimented her on the _haori_. Kagome also had a suit very similar to Sango's that she had folded in her pack, but she figured she'd save that for a… special occasion. _

_Smiling, Kagome thanked the hanyou before they set off towards the village where Shippo was waiting. They had barely made it to the edge of the clearing when jewel shards tickled her senses, and she abruptly stopped walking._

_"What is it?" InuYasha asked, moving to her side._

_"Jewel shards…" Kagome looked off to her left. "Coming in fast, from the East."_

_She reached backwards for her staff, depositing the bag at her feet. Her bows and arrows were strapped to her back as well, and her dagger was firmly in place at her waist. The one with the chain was packed away in her bag, because she hadn't thought she'd need it._

_InuYasha took a short sniff of the air, before growling and confirming Kagome's suspicions. "Smells like Naraku… be on your guard, Kagome. It's just you and me this time."_

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Making a beeline straight for the well, Kagome tripped over her own feet several times before pulling a fair lead on the demon.

_I've got to lure it away from InuYasha! But it's so strong… there's no way I'll be able to fight it close-range. I'm not strong enough!_

While all her training with her friends had given Kagome a new lean strength she hadn't had before, she wasn't confident in her short-range combat skills. This demon was over 5 times her size and probably just as strong.

She stopped on the other side of the clearing, turning to face the shapeless monstrosity that Naraku had sent again them. However, she was more than surprised when the monster disappeared right before her eyes, and Kikyo stepped out from the cover of the trees.

"Miko Kagome," she said, her emotionless tone sending shivers down the young priestess' back.

"What do you want, Kikyo?" Kagome asked, taking a step back towards the well as Kikyo took another step towards it.

The priestess said nothing, merely continuing to walk forward as Kagome moved sideways and backward until she was pressed against the wood of the well, in between it and the other woman.

"What do you want from us?!" Kagome questioned again, watching Kikyo and tightening her grip on her staff, which she held at her side.

Still, Kikyo did not reply, but instead drew her own bow and notched an arrow. Kagome felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as her own powers rose within her in response to Kikyo's.

When the glow of purification washed through the clearing, Kagome heard InuYasha stir. _What is she trying to do? A purification arrow won't hurt me… and surely she won't shoot InuYasha…?_

Wordlessly, Kikyo fired the arrow with a fluid gesture. Kagome watched as the arrow shone bright and true, heading straight for her head. Panicking, she forced her own powers into the staff and held it in front of her, willing a barrier to life. But she had acted just too late, and the arrow was merely deflected by her staff, instead nicking Kagome's cheek.

She felt the sharp sting of air on the open cut, and blood welled up to drip down her face.

"Be gone, reincarnation. I have things to do." Kikyo said simply.

Too late, Kagome realized Kikyo had intended for the arrow to be deflected, and it had embedded itself in the well. The small remanent of power that had remained in the shaft glowed brightly, and Kagome felt herself tipping backwards into the well as if she had been pulled from behind. With her heavy new pack on her back, she lost balance almost immediately and fell into the Bone Eater's Well with a shrill scream.

"InuYaaashaaaa!"

**tbc.**


	2. the other man

**A/N: **A great big thanks for all of you who took the time to read and review! A special thanks to two special people: _**crystal lilith**,_ for being my very first review! Within the first half-hour of posting, no less. Another big thank you goes to **neko-cat-kirara** for correctly guessing what happens to Kagome, courtesy of the spell.

Now, without further ado… the chapter! Oh yeah- and Happy Holidays, everyone!

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Another 500 or so words have been added between chapter one and chapter two... seems like we're on a good kick so far here, people. Wish me luck!

_EDITED:_ 03/05/13

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**piano man**

**chapter two – the other man**

**ancient-relic**

**- o -**

InuYasha struggled against the impending blackness that was clouding his vision, and tried again to stand. A sharp pain shot through his back, running from his shoulder blades all the way down to his right leg.

_What happened? Kagome said Kikyo was here…_ InuYasha backtracked through his memories slowly. _That stupid, smelly ass demon back-handed me across the fucking clearing._

Straining again to rise, his shoulder popped painfully and he flopped to the ground exhausted. When the wave of pain passed, he tried again. This time, it was hard to even summon the strength to move his body.

Kagome's cries cut through the clearing, making his ears twitch. _Leave her alone…!_

"Kik…lea…ve…" his voice was weak even to his own ears.

Ears that were still working perfectly, despite the pain and weariness that wracked his battered body… InuYasha heard the sharp _twang_ of the bow, and his ears honed in on the whistling in the air as the arrow rushed towards its target. The stink of purification was sharp in the air, tingling his nose like Kagome's fizzy drinks.

_Kikyo!_ He screamed in his mind, the physical pain of his body keeping his jaw clenched tight. _Stop this! Leave Kagome alone! Please…_

"InuYaaashaaaa!" Kagome's scream rang in his ears long after it ended, and he felt the familiar pulse of the magic of the well.

_Is she trying to seal the well?_ _What could Kikyo possibly have to gain by sealing Kagome and her half of the jewel away…_

InuYasha resumed his struggles to rise, biting down on his lip as wave after wave of pain washed over him. His right leg just wasn't cooperating… he learned the hard way that he couldn't move it at all. His arms were tingling like they were asleep—and worst of all his heart ached with the resounding realization that he'd allowed Kikyo's presence to distract him from protecting Kagome.

Whatever happened to the well and Kagome was totally and completely his fault.

Licking his lips, InuYasha tasted the sharp metallic tang of his own blood. He hadn't even felt his own fangs puncture the skin. With blood on his mind and his lips, InuYasha continued to struggle, using the dead weight of his right leg as to balance and help prop his body up. The action cost him, and an enormous wave of pain washed over him making his eyesight go dark for a moment.

_Damn, I think my leg is broken._

Soft steps caught his attention, and InuYasha froze. Was it Kikyo? Or was it someone coming to help him…? Sniffing the air gently, he realized it was the former.

_Kikyo._

The footsteps stopped, and from his position prone on the ground, InuYasha couldn't even twist to see the shell of the woman he had once loved. He could picture her cold face with startling clarity though; the emotionless stare, expressionless and porcelain pale. Suddenly, an arrow fell to the ground in front of his face.

It reeked of Kagome's blood.

"Ki…kyo…" he rasped. "…what….what have you done to Ka..gome?!"

"Have you still not seen through my plot, you foolish half-breed?" the velvet voice of Naraku purred in sadistic glee. InuYasha tensed in fury, his mind rushing to impossible outcomes.

Naraku stood silently for a moment, soaking in the moment. Then he delivered a sharp kick to InuYasha's ribs, making the hanyou wince and cough up blood. The kick had its desired effect, rolling the hanyou jarringly onto his back, so he forcibly learned that it was in fact Naraku who stood before him.

Long wavy hair blew freely from underneath the cover of the baboon pelt, whipping across Naraku's face and casting shadows over his glowing red eyes. He stared down at InuYasha with a cruel, cold smile.

"I'm sure you'd love to know how I pulled this off, wouldn't you?" he questioned, red eyes boring into InuYasha's golden ones. Pausing for half a second, the dark hanyou continued.

"First, I scoured the continent for a special stone that would enable me to take on the scent and characteristics of whomever I so desire. I had to kill a whole shrine of priestesses and monks just to get to it- but really; it was little more than practice. They hardly put up a fight." Naraku chuckled.

"After that, it was simple to take on the form of Kikyo yet again. A simple lesser demon with some jewel shards was enough to capture your attention, and a dimension spell was just what I needed to get rid of that pesky girl."

"What…what are you talking about?!" InuYasha croaked, his eyes wide.

_A dimension spell? Naraku can't possibly know about Kagome's time-travelling abilities…_

"Oh yes, you heard correctly, half-breed." Naraku continued with a maniacal grin. "A simple spell to turn any object into a portal to anywhere I want- from my own castle, to another dimension entirely, full of blood-sucking monstrosities."

InuYasha winced at that idea.

"What did you cast the spell on?" he hesitated before asking, glancing to the arrow at his side.

"That old well that you two seem to be so fond of…" Naraku replied in a nonchalant way that seemed much too casual. "I decided to make an object you two have such a close connection with to become the object of your forceful separation. The irony is beautiful!"

InuYasha hid his sigh of relief. Naraku didn't know that the well was already a portal through time. The magical powers that it had very well may have altered Naraku's spell, and hopefully Kagome was just at the bottom of the well in her own time.

"It only works once… you will not be able to follow your precious copy into whatever world she disappeared into." Naraku added, misjudging the look of relief in InuYasha's eyes.

Lifting a foot, he pressed down on InuYasha's already broken ribs, causing the inu hanyou to hiss in pain and cough up more blood.

"There is no way for her to return, either." He continued, smirking coldly. "With your only way of finding the shards now gone, I will finally be able to complete the jewel."

Naraku laughed the, a terrible raspy chuckle that made InuYasha grimace. With another painful kick to his side, Naraku turned and disappeared in a cloud of miasma, leaving the arrow stained with Kagome's blood at InuYasha's side.

InuYasha lay there, his eyes closed against the light of the setting sun for longer than he could comprehend. His body was throbbing with pain, synchronizing with the ache in his head and the beat of his heart. He fought the darkness of pain and unconsciousness, but helplessness and rage washed over him as he lay immobile on the hard ground.

The sharp scent of Kagome's blood did nothing to ease his pain; instead serving as a dull and constant reminder of what his foolishness had caused. And now, all he was left with was regret and pain. It was all that he could hope for was that wherever Kagome was now, she'd be able to find someone to protect her until he could find a way to bring her back to his side.

**tbc.**


	3. Unexpected Allies

**A/N:** I am very sorry, and for more than one thing.

First of all, my email got messed up somehow, and I know for a fact that I missed some reviews. I do try to respond to them, so it makes me rather upset that I did in fact miss some and didn't manage to reply to them. I will say, though, that I did go back and read them… just didn't reply.

I was asked, in one such review, a very important question;

**What instrument will Kagome play?**

That is a very good, and very important question. I was planning on keeping that info a secret, but since we're here, in Chapter Three, where I have planned to reveal all the other instruments… I guess I'll let you in on the info. Without further ado… the final decisions…

**Kagome**: Flute & Piano

**Naruto**: Guitar; Electric and Acoustic

**Sasuke**: Flute & Piano

**Sakura**: Violin & Trumpet

**Neji**: Violin, Flute & Piano

**Hinata**: Violin & Flute

**Shikamaru**: Base Guitar

**Ino**: Saxophone (Alto)

**Kiba**: Drums

Though these are the instruments that I've decided they will play regularly, each character will not be limited to them. Like, I plan to have the girls singing and dancing too, if everything works out according to a plan that I've misplaced. The others though, are a secret! Did you know that people voted for Naruto to play the _bagpipes?_ It totally cracked me up. Some of this may in fact have been very obvious- what with the way the characters are. But I do feel inclined to point out something…

Kagome finds solace in music- namely the piano… and flute. The pairing is Sasuke/Kagome. Sasuke plays the piano and the flute, too. The title of this story is _"Piano Man"_ Anyone want to venture a guess at the connection? I could reveal it… But… this too, is just a **lot** obvious.

Anyhow, the second thing that I'm sorry for is just how long it took to get the next chapter out. I didn't mean for it to be this long… really. I'm just working on another story… and other ones that I should be working on too… but conveniently am not. But regardless of all that, I am pleased to present you with _Piano Man, Chapter Three!_

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**Piano Man**

**III: Unexpected Allies**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

Kagome's eyes widened as her voice was stolen from her by the howling winds of magic. What was Kikyo doing? Why was she trying to "get rid of her?" She was in the way? Of what?

The relaxing feeling of the well's soft magic began to surround her, as Kagome sensed the flow of time around her. However an odd realization struck her, as the time that it usually took her to pass between eras just seemed to grow, and grow, and grow.

Something was wrong! Or, something was not right… and as if it was responding to Kagome's thoughts, the well pulsed, and the blue magic of the well began disappearing.

Well, it was more like it was _fading_…

And suddenly, Kagome knew that she wasn't going home. She might never be going home, ever again. Whatever spells that Kikyo had cast- she'd done them on the well. And whatever the well was doing right now- the three little jewel shards that hung around her neck were pulsing violently in reaction to it. Angrily, even… and it was rather frightening.

The blue was still gradually disappearing, and Kagome had absolutely no idea what was happening. However, as the blue gradually disappeared, it was changing into a different kind of blue- that was so familiar… but she couldn't place what it belonged to.

A chill washed over her, and Kagome shivered violently. It was getting hard to breath, and colder by the minute. What was going on?

…

Kagome stared at the new blue that surrounded her, as a steady rhythm of chills encompassed her. She felt like she was falling- plummeting… oh.

Kagome instantly recognized the blue. It was the blue of a sky! The well had all but disappeared, and she was falling through the sky. Screaming at the top of her lungs, Kagome began flailing wildly, hoping that by some magical chance… she might actually be able to fly- like in the American cartoons that her little brother loved to watch.

_I'm going to die! _She thought miserably, as she was forced to shut her eyes.

Soon… it was all going to be over.

Just as Kagome was making her final prayers, she fell though layers upon layers of foliage that slowed her fall, and landed with a 'thump' on something warm, and hard.

"What the hell?" a voice cried from beneath her.

Kagome lay there a moment, blinking up at the hole through the trees that she'd just come from.

_Thankyouthankyou! _She chanted, laughing in her mind, grateful tears streaming from her face.

"Get it the fuck off me!" The voice from beneath her cried again, wriggling under her dead weight. As if remembering that someone had broken her fall, Kagome scrambled off the man she had landed on, ignored the ache in her back and kneeled beside him, watching worriedly as he pried his face out of the dirt.

"Are you okay? I'm really, really sorry." Kagome apologized, helping the man stand. "Did I hurt you?" she asked, gasping as he turned to face her. He had a strange bluish complexion, beady eyes, and markings that looked an awful lot like gills.

"Of course not! A great ninja like me, hurt by a little shrimp like you?" he laughed, dusting himself off.

Kagome glared at him, mentally poking him in the eye with her dagger. Who was he calling a shrimp? Resting her hand instinctually on the hilt that was hidden beneath a short, shimmering black obi, Kagome growled at the fish-man… but as soon as the sound escaped her mouth, she felt a wave of power rush from someone behind her.

Turning around on her heel, Kagome stared blankly at a man with red eyes, standing quite placidly, upside-down from a tree. Her mouth immediately gaped.

"How can you do that?" Kagome cried in indignation. She was jealous, of course but most of all amazed!

"Anyone can do this, girl." The man replied, his voice soft- yet strong. It was a dangerous voice, Kagome noted. _Not unlike Sesshomaru's_.

"_I _can't!" she huffed, her hands on her hips.

The man gave her a strange look, and proceeded to walk down the trunk of the tree, across the clearing, and right past her, to the blue fish man. Kagome turned with him as he walked past her, her eyes catching a glimpse of long hair, tucked into his odd cloak with the strange red clouds in it. The blue fish man had a similar cloak on, though he had a sword strapped to his back.

Red-Eyes didn't have any visible weapons. Kagome narrowed her eyes at the back of his head, and let her miko powers flare to life, licking against her mental restrain on them. She knew that it would cause her aura to flare, and she waited to see if Red-Eyes would do anything.

He stopped walking rather abruptly, and Kagome could practically see the tenseness waving outwards from his aura. However, he did not turn around, and instead turned to Blue-Gills.

"Kisame. I expect you are not injured." He spoke, direct and soft… as Kagome suspected was his style.

"Pah! Of course not, Itachi-san. Like I would let such a shrimp of a woman hurt me?" he chuckled again, though this time it seemed darker. "It would take much more."

Kagome was really contemplating letting her powers loose to see if Blue-Gills actually fried like a fish. Again, she watched in interest as Red-Eyes stiffened.

"I suggest that you don't try anything, girl." He said suddenly. Kagome blinked in shock, and glared at him. However, she was shocked to find that he wasn't standing with Blue-Gills anymore.

A cool touch on the back of her neck almost made her squeal- if it was not for the other hand that wound around her waist, while the first covered her mouth, and silenced her.

"And I suggest that you do not move. I do not need a weapon to kill you. However, should the situation arise, I can always use yours." He chuckled… an even darker sound than Blue-Gills' laugh.

Kagome blushed as his hand slid across her stomach in a sinuous manner, to her obi- where the dagger InuYasha had given her rested. Rather disgusted, Kagome let her power trickle out of her, watching as it became a very subtle glow around her skin.

She heard the man behind her hiss, and instantly, his hands were gone. Kagome almost missed the soothing cool on her aching skin, but she forced it away. Now was not the time for weakness.

"Pink?" Red-Eyes hissed, looking at his hands, which looked a little pink themselves.

"Itachi-san!" Kisame called, his confusion clear. "What are you talking about? Did she attack you?"

"Can you not see it?" Itach, glanced at Kagome, whose miko powers were flaring lightly on the surface of her skin giving off the strange appearance that she was on pink fire.

"See what?" Kisame asked, sounding more puzzled by the minute. Itachi grumbled something rather undecipherable under his breath, and turned back to Kagome.

"What have you done to me? What jutsu did you use? And why is your chakra pink?" he questioned in a toneless voice, though his questions all held a threatening promise should she refuse to answer.

"You mean that her chakra is physically manifesting?" Kisame asked, squinting at Kagome's form, to no avail. "I can't see anything. Perhaps it is the Sharingan?" he ventured.

Itachi nodded- the barest shake of his head. Kagome, meanwhile, was holding her staff out in front of her with two hands. She really didn't want to fight these people. What would they do to her if she lost? No doubt that they were more powerful than she was…

_No fear._

Kagome was startled. The memory crept up on her… of the time when InuYasha had tried to teach her how to use a sword. He had positioned himself behind her, and moved her body with his own until she was standing in the right position.

And instantly, Kagome remembered the proper stance, unconsciously shifting into it. Kisame was rather surprised. "That's an ancient stance!" he exclaimed, pointing to Kagome, who was holding her staff like a long sword. "But her grip is weak…"

Itachi glared at Kisame, who instantly shut his mouth with a snap. Turning back to Kagome, he directed another glare of his own at her. Kagome instantly felt the heat from his gaze. Red-Eyes meant business.

"Don't make me ask you again, girl." Itachi chastised; though it came out as more of a growl. He was growing irritable.

Kagome stared at him a moment, before drawing a shaky breath. "I don't know what you speak of. I don't even know any… jutsu's? And I don't have cha…kra. I have ki." She said, frowning at Red-Eyes.

She really hadn't the slightest idea as to what he was talking about… and she tensed as he brought a hand out from under his cloak. There was a _swoosh_ sound in the air, and Kagome almost instinctually brought up a quick barrier around herself, forming in a small sphere around her form.

A metallic clang ran through the air, and Kagome watched as the barrier sparked pink, and she stared at the black metal blade that he had tossed at her.

Staring at it for a moment, she mentally retraced its flight path. It had been aimed right at her head. "You!" she pointed at Red-Eyes. "You tried to kill me, didn't you?"

The situation was starting to scare Kagome. She didn't know where she was, and she didn't know how strong these strange people were. She was surrounded by forest on all sides, and she had fallen point-blank from the sky.

Itachi chuckled at her outburst. "Rather stupid, I see. Kisame," he said, turning to his blue partner. "If a kunai cannot pass her defenses, tell me if water can." Itachi stated, moving to Blue-Gills' side.

Kisame grinned, and Kagome watched apprehensively as his hands started forming strange positions that she had never seen before.

"**Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu!"**

Kagome watched in surprise as Blue-Gills manifested a torrent of water. Stabbing her staff into the ground, she pumped as much power as she could into her barrier, until it glowed a bright pink around her form.

The water hit her blockade, pushing her back several feet, and leaving a gash in the ground where her staff was dragged. Panting under the force of the water, Kagome was awed at the sheer force of the attack at it roared past her ears.

_That must have been a _jutsu_,_ she thought absentmindedly, concentrating on her barrier lest it falter in spite of this magnificent water blast.

Moments later, the water levels dropped, and the stream trickled away, and dwindled down to nothing. Kagome sighed in relief, but kept her barrier up; lest something else happen that she may need protection from.

Itachi watched as Kisame's blast trickled away, and was not expecting to see the girl still standing. She was a few feet farther from where she had started, but her barrier was up, and it had not appeared to falter.

Though he would never say it out loud, he was impressed. She knew nothing of chakra, jutsu, or ninja… yet she was able to produce a defense so strong that it could withstand a B-Rank jutsu.

-: Elsewhere :-

Naruto grumbled to himself as he walked through the trees, looking for unusual activity.

_Who complains about unusual activity from the forest? No one cares about what happens in the forest._

"Try not to grumble, Naruto. This is a C-Rank/border B mission." Kakashi's voice sounded, crackling over the speakers on the walkie-talkie and headset that Naruto was wearing.

"Why not?" Naruto huffed, crossing his arms, and plopping himself against a tree. "Nothing exciting ever happens-"

Naruto stopped talking in the middle of his sentence. There was a strange sound coming from the trees off to his left. However, they got rather dense, and he couldn't see what was happening. It might have been too far away to tell, anyhow.

"Naruto? Are you there?" Sakura's voice cracked across the headset, but Naruto wasn't listening.

"Oh SHIT!" Naruto yelled, diving to the side. A torrent of water rushed past him, and of course, it managed to soak him to the bone.

"Ohmigodohmigodohmigod" Naruto chanted, crawling as best he could through the water.

It was hard to breathe, and he had lost his headset in the torrent. Looking down to his waist, he saw that the walkie-talkie was missing, as well. However, the little black calling signal contraption-thing that Kakashi-sensei had insisted that he wear was still there, so Naruto frantically pushed the red distress button, before scrambling behind a tree.

It provided little protection… but it was enough. Still getting sprayed by the thunderous tumult of water, the tree broke the torrent enough for him to breathe. The only problem was that the water was so loud he couldn't even hear himself think.

Moments later, the water died down, and Naruto watched sadly as a squirrel floated away on a piece of branch that had passed by him on the waning rivulets of the stream. However, he didn't have much time to grieve for the animal, when Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura jumped down from the tree branches above him.

"What happened to you, Naruto?" Sakura cried, looking at the sopping mass of orange and yellow and blue that was Naruto. Raising a shaky hand, Naruto pointed at the mass of trees that the water had burst from.

"Someone really must not like me, or something. First this stupid mission, and now trying to drown me." Naruto said, standing up, and wringing out his jumpsuit.

"Technically, wouldn't this count as suspicious activity?" Sasuke questioned with a smirk. Sometimes, Naruto could be really daft.

Naruto snapped his fingers. "Yeah, I guess." His face cracked into a grin. "Let's go investigate!" he cheered, and was about to march forward, when Kakashi's hand stopped him.

"We must tread with caution." Kakashi said, his eyes staring through the trees. Naruto instantly noticed he had the Sharingan activated.

"Who is it?" Naruto asked then, his voice somber. He'd seen that look on Kakashi's voice before. It wasn't good.

"Hoshigaki Kisame… and Uchiha Itachi." Kakashi said solemnly, looking at Sasuke.

Sasuke was silent, his hands clenched at his sides. He was grinding his teeth together, and he was currently trying to bore a hole through the earth with his eyes.

"Sasuke?" Sakura asked, hesitantly. And equally hesitant hand froze inches from his shoulder, when a very female shriek pierced the air, wafting through the trees as clear as a bell.

Sasuke stared at the trees for a moment, before dashing away, in the direction of the shrill cry.

-: With Kagome :-

Kagome stood shakily, letting her barrier drop. Her hand that was holding her staff drooped to her side, and she sunk to her knees. Itachi smirked from across the clearing. He really could be persuasive when he really wanted to… and the people who were fools to believe that were quickly corrected.

"_Get out of my HEAD!_" Kagome grit out, grasping her temples with her hands. Itachi merely chuckled. The girl had yet to cease amazing him… she was resisting both his Sharingan and his Tsukiyomi.

The presence in her mind terrified Kagome. It was too malevolent… it was worse than Tsubaki. However, it was not vying for control like Tsubaki's power… it was almost leisurely making it's way through her memories, pulling painful thoughts to the forefront of her mind.

_NO!_

With a bright (though largely invisible) flash of her miko ki, Kagome screamed, and crumpled to the ground. Kisame watched with a small grin lingering on the corners of his mouth. No one could beat Itachi…

However, he was beyond shocked when Itachi crumpled to the ground across the little clearing from the girl. Rushing over to his fallen partner, Kisame was repelled by a strange wall. Rising from the pine needles that littered the floor, Kisame slowly moved forward, reaching a hand out until he came to the solid force that had stopped him the first time.

It glowed pink, briefly, as his hand touched it. Then, the pink disappeared, and it burned his hand. Yelping, he withdrew his hand, and sat down right at the edge of the barrier. If he could not get inside, he would wait a few minutes longer to see what would happen before taking further action.

Kakashi cursed under his breath, before leaping after Sasuke. The boy had taken off as if he had hell on his heels… and it was most shocking. Naruto blinked a moment, before grabbing Sakura's hand, and dashing off after their sensei and teammate.

Sasuke skidded into the clearing where Itachi and Kisame were. However, only Kisame was visible, sitting with his back to him. Sasuke's eyes narrowed. Why was he sitting there? Moving fast, Sasuke cast a clone jutsu, before tossing a kunai at Kisame and leaving his clone in his place. As predicted, Kisame dodged. The kunai hit an invisible wall with a brief 'clang' sound, and it sparked pink before imbedding itself in the ground.

Kisame sliced his clone in half, but Sasuke jumped down, the blue ninja forgotten. Itachi was lying crumpled, face-first on the ground beyond that invisible wall, along side a strange girl, who had also keeled over on her side. Placing his hand out in front of him, Sasuke felt his hand come in contact with something rather warm and comforting. It felt like a thin layer of plastic. Pushing harder, it broke, and he walked forward.

Kisame's eyes widened. The barrier had let Itachi's brat-brother inside, but not him? Dashing towards the spot that Sasuke had passed the barrier, Kisame hissed as the place he touched remained solid, and burned him again. He had no chance to try anything else, because Hatake Kakashi burst through the trees next, followed by two other children- a blonde boy and a pink haired girl.

"Kisame," Kakashi stated, his voice cold.

"Ah. Hatake Kakashi," Kisame replied, a feral grin stretching its way across his face. "To what may I discern this great honor?"

Kakashi scowled. "What are you and Itachi doing here? Better- where _is_ Itachi?" Kakashi questioned, drawing a pair of kunai, and holding them in front of him.

"Itachi…" Kisame paused, "Is currently indisposed."

"What?" Kakashi said intelligently, clearly confused. He had sensed Itachi a moment ago…

"Look!" Sakura shouted, pointing across the clearing, to Sasuke, who looked like he was walking through water. He appeared to be sluggishly moving towards to crumpled forms on the ground- one green, and one black and red- undeniably Itachi.

"But who's the other one?" Naruto asked, peering at the tan lump on the ground. "And she's got something silvery beside her!" he pointed out the staff.

"Who is she? And what are you doing with her here, in all places?" Kakashi asked Kisame.

"It's the funniest thing. She fell from the sky." Kisame said, his voice sounding rather sarcastic.

"You expect me to believe that?" Kakashi asked incredulously.

"Hey," Kisame shrugged. "It's the truth. Now. Let's get down to business."

Kakashi grinned. And in a sudden flurry of movement and leaves, their blades clashed. "Naruto, Sakura! Help the girl, and keep Sasuke out of trouble!"

The two dashed to do as they were told- only to run right into something hard, and warm.

-: The Tsukiyomi World :-

_Kagome rubbed her head, and sat up. It felt like she was underwater, and like her limbs were weighted. It was an effort to move. Slowly, she lifted herself up and into a sitting position._

_The trees that surrounded her were barren and black- the ground looking like it was charred by some massive fire. Pulling herself to her feet, Kagome fought the wave of vertigo that threatened her stomach._

_There was dead silence all around her- so quiet and thick it was suffocating. There was no wind, no animals… and no people. There was no sun- though the surrounding area was light enough to see._

_Kagome begun walking- straight forwards in a line- so as not to double over or back or anything else. There was nothing in her path- so it was not as if she would have to turn out of the way._

_After what seemed like hours of walking, Kagome had finally come across a stream, where little tufts of coarse grass grew about its edges._

_Collapsing to her knees, she bent over the water, keen on washing her face and having a little to drink. However, she was shocked to find that it was not her reflection staring back at her- but a bloodied InuYasha's golden stare._

_A wind picked up put of nowhere, and she could hear his voice, moaning and groaning in pain._

"_Kagome… Why didn't you purify the demon? It's broken my body- my soul… and it's all your fault!"_

_Kagome let out a strangled sob as she stared into the dark waters, watching blood pour from InuYasha's eyes, nose, mouth, and a deep gash in his forehead that went all the way down to the bone._ _Screaming, Kagome distorted the image by hitting the water. However, the water was much thicker than she suspected, and her hand almost seemed sucked down._

_Pulling frantically, Kagome only ended up getting her other arm stuck. Kicking and screaming, Kagome tried to use her body weight to her advantage, but it was no use. The ground crumbled, and Kagome was sucked under._

_However, instead of sinking to the bottom of the river, Kagome fell out the bottom, and into a chamber, seemingly running beneath the river. Looking up, she saw a stone ceiling, dripping water._

"_What was that?" she whispered, shivering. It was cold and damp in this new place, and her limbs felt like they were going to crumble and fall off._

_Looking around, he saw a door that had been left slightly ajar, with a light shining through. "Mmn. That looks like a fire…" she said, watching the way that the light flickered._

_Heaving herself to her feet again, she walked to the door, and stepped though it. Inside, was what looked to be a bedroom; lit only by a single candle, in a wall bracket above a futon that was laid out extravagantly on the ground. There was some kind of sweet incense burning, and it tickled Kagome nose._

_Suddenly, feeling overly tired, she moved over to the futon. However, there was someone else lying on it. Upon closer inspection, Kagome found it to be Red-Eyes… the strange man from earlier._

"_Hey! Red-Eyes!" Kagome called, poking his cheek. Groaning, he exhaled a great breath of air, and quieted again. Kagome pouted._

"_Hell-o? I'm talking to you. Are you even alive?" Kagome said, smooshing his face between her hands._

_With a sharp movement, Kagome found herself pinned on her back, to the futon- with a very angry pair of red eyes staring down at her._

"_What do you think you're doing, _girl_?" Itachi hissed._

"_Making sure you're okay, of course!" Kagome grinned, despite the situation. He was fun when he was pissed off._

"_You make sure people are okay by poking them and grabbing their faces?" Itachi shot back, looking at Kagome curiously. The sarcasm was clear in his voice._

"_Of course not. You're an exception." Kagome laughed, before her face turned serious. "Do you mind getting off me now?"_

_A look of confusion passed briefly over Itachi's face, before he swept himself off Kagome's tiny form. Sitting with his back to her, he could hear Kagome's soft chuckles as she rose._

"_What's your name?" Kagome asked, moving to sit beside Itachi._

"_What makes you think I'll tell you that?" Itachi shot back._

_Kagome looked at Itachi with a strange face, before it twisted into one of irritation. "Look here, Red-Eyes. We are both stuck here together in this strange place. There is no one else- no wind, no animals, and certainly no people. Obviously, we have to work together to get out of here, or else we'll be stuck here forever!"_

_Itachi looked at the girl with a hint of a smile as she ranted. _She's calling me Red-Eyes?_ Heedless to Itachi's thoughts, Kagome continued._

"_I'm only trying to be nice, you know. It's easier. And your name would probably be better than me calling you Red-Eyes all the time, right? Or would you rather me call you that?"_

"_No." Itachi said stonily, glaring at the young woman that currently was glaring right back at him._

_Kagome huffed. "Men are so typical. It's just like them…" she muttered to herself, grumbling about thick-headed demons and their strange ego-complexes._

_Itachi chose to ignore her strange ramblings for the moment, but filed the thought away for future reference. "What do you call Kisame?" he asked, watching as Kagome snapped out of her mumblings right away._

"_Blue-Gills," Kagome replied, a grin on her face. "I have to wonder if he fries like a fish in a pan of butter… but I wouldn't taste the final product for my life."_

_Itachi reigned in his amusement but let a faint smile ghost across his face. Kagome saw it._

"_Red-Eyes smiled!" Kagome yelled, listening to her voice echo off the walls around her. Itachi's smile disappeared._

"_Uchiha Itachi" he said._

_Kagome looked at him. "What?"_

"_That's my name. Uchiha Itachi." He said, waiting for the inevitable._

"_Oh. That's a nice name, Itachi-san." Kagome said, smiling. "My name's Higurashi Kagome. It's nice to meet you!"_

_Itachi stared at Kagome uncertainly. No screaming about a mass murder… no hate-filled stares… no nothing! This girl was strange… strange indeed. Was it actually possible that she didn't know about his past? He was certain that it was common knowledge._

"_Just Itachi. Itachi-san sounds too…" Itachi trailed off, not being able to find the right words. In truth, it reminded him of his days as a member of Konoha's ANBU._

"_Only if you call me Kagome!" Kagome laughed, standing up, and reaching out a hand to Itachi. He stared at it a moment, before looking up at her._

"_What are you doing?" he asked. Why was this girl so strange?_

"_We're friends now, so I'm can help you up. Hopefully, you'll help me find a way out of here. Then, we're even. See?" Kagome replied, looking at Itachi like he was stupid._

_Itachi moved his gaze to Kagome's outstretched hand again, but pushed it aside. "I don't need help standing." He said, pulling himself to his feet._

_Kagome looked a little put-off, but didn't say anything else. Itachi was strange… first he was trying to kill her- then he was being friendly. Who was he really? Scary or nice?_ _Itachi moved to the middle of the room, dragging Kagome with him. "Stand here, and hold on. We're stuck in the Tsukiyomi world."_

"_You can get us out?" Kagome said, looking uncertainly at Itachi as he stood in the center of the room._

"_I brought us here. However, I think that your strange chakra messed it up, somehow." Itachi said, grabbing Kagome and tugging her to him. Kagome _eeked_, her face flushing a bright red. Itachi merely smirked. "Its ki," She corrected half-heartedly._

_Placing his arms around Kagome, he moved them into the seal of the ram, focusing his chakra into his eyes. With a flash of light, Itachi felt himself being lifted from the strange room. Kagome squealed again, and grasped Itachi for all she was worth._

_Moving her face from his cloak, she was rather disappointed to see that they had only exited the strange room. Now, they were outside by the river that had sucked Kagome down in the first place._

_Itachi grumbled something that Kagome's ears didn't catch and she looked up to his face. "Why didn't it work?" she asked worriedly._

"_I don't know." Itachi replied shortly, looking at his surroundings. "But the Tsukiyomi has never taken on this appearance before, either. It's your _ki_."_

_Kagome bit her lip. Was it her fault that they were stuck here? How was she ever going to be able to get back to InuYasha if she couldn't even get out of this 'Tsukiyomi world'?_

"_Itachi," Kagome asked, looking up again. Itachi looked down at her, and Kagome almost blushed again under his close scrutiny._

"_What?"_

"_What if we mix power as you do that flash thing again? Maybe if you use my power, it will counter whatever is keeping us here." Kagome suggested, looking hopeful._

"_How are we going to do that? If the powers are different as you keep telling me, then there's no way to mix them." Itachi replied, and was about to push Kagome away, when the strange pink glow re-appeared, brighter than before. Simultaneously, Kagome's arms tightened around him again, and Itachi could feel the strain that this was costing her._

_Itachi watched in amazement as the strange pink glow moved from Kagome to him, dancing about him like flames. Suddenly, the pink flared, and faded to a deep purple- almost black._

"_I…" Kagome gasped a moment, inhaling deep breaths. "I'm mixing my ki into your aura. You have to do it quickly- I can't do this for long, or I might accidentally purify you! Your power is tainted."_

_Itachi stored that piece of information away- like before- along with the look of Kagome's face, eyes dilated and desperate. It made him want to smile._

_Itachi focused his chakra again, and he could feel the warmth of Kagome's power surging through him as he tried again. He knew it worked as soon as he felt the clashing of powers, and he held Kagome's limp form tightly as he jumped straight up. Releasing his power, he felt it explode outwards, before an explosion of light forced him to close his eyes._

**tbc.**

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**EDITED: 29/04/10**


	4. Uchiha Squared

**A/N: **Hey, guys...

I'm sorry that this took so long to get out. I've had it mostly prepared for a while, and I put the finishing touches on it a while ago, too... but I forgot about it completely. I had originally intended to post a crap-load of things all at once, but of course, I wasn't done all the chapters, so I didn't.

But I'm not going to wait any longer with this one... Chapter Four!

* * *

**Piano Man**

**IV: Uchiha Squared**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

Sasuke kneeled by the strange girl first, doing a routine check to make sure that she wasn't injured in any way. She wasn't. He noted the strange outfit that she wore, and all the places that looked like they were holding concealed weapons.

The strange staff at her side was gorgeous… and it looked to be of magnificent workmanship. However, there were more important things to do, so Sasuke turned away from the strange girl, and to his brother.

However, before he even had a chance to move forward, his brother's body flashed brightly, and disappeared. A resounding flash from behind him made him turn, only to find the girl and her staff missing too.

-::-

Naruto pounded on the strange pink barrier, as several of his clones copied his movements. Sakura watched as each of them were repelled with a strange pink light.

Turning back to Sasuke, Sakura shouted again. "SASUKE-KUN, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YOU MUST COME OUT OF THERE BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS!"

Sasuke either didn't hear her, or ignored her. Sakura didn't have another chance to shout though, because a bright light surrounded Itachi, the strange girl, and Sasuke. When it died down, only Sasuke remained.

Naruto and his three remaining clones were in mid-charge when the light went off. However, it didn't stop any of them. Nothing did, and all four Naruto's went right on running, until they crashed into the trees on the far end of the clearing.

-::-

Kakashi moved to the side as Kisame's blade swooped down with a low swoosh sound, and flipped out of sight, and into a tree as his back was turned.

"KAKASHI!" Kisame roared in anger, looking around the clearing like a rhino looking for something to charge at.

Kakashi chuckled, but the sound had barely left him mouth when a bright light made him turn in the direction of his team, Itachi, and the strange girl. Below him, Kisame copied his motions, swiveling to call out his partner's name.

"Itachi-san!"

Everyone was looking around the clearing for some sign of Itachi, but everyone came up empty handed. Unbeknownst to them, Itachi was watching everyone with a grin on his face from up in a tree.

Kagome was curled in his arms, panting from the exertion that adding her powers to his had caused. His dark aura was screaming to be purified, now that her powers were awake and curling and twisting beneath her skin.

"Itachi, wh-"

Itachi silenced her with a cool hand over her mouth. Kagome bit back another squeal as Itachi turned to look at her. His eyes were still red, and Kagome noticed a strange pattern in them… of circles and dots.

"Quiet." Itachi replied briskly, staring hard at the petit girl in his arms before returning his attention to the ninja who were looking for him in the clearing. "What would the world do without me?" he chuckled to himself, forgetting Kagome was still with him.

He was quickly reminded when she huffed indignantly beneath his hand. Itachi turned to Kagome again, with a cautious look. What was it about this strange girl that put him so at ease? He felt like glaring, but he resisted the urge.

It then struck him that she had him resisting the urge to glare. This was not good. Kagome wiggled impatiently in his arms, and Itachi, caught by surprise, nearly lost his grip on the tree.

Kagome gently moved Itachi's hand, while staring straight into his eyes. She didn't want him to think that she'd scream, or anything. Aside from that, however, something about his eyes drew her to them, like a moth to flame. Shaking her head lightly to rid herself of such thoughts, she focused on Itachi again before speaking softly.

"You have to let me down. My powers are unstable, and I don't want to purify your disgusting aura by accident. Besides. This upside-down thing was cool for a while, but all the blood is rushing to my head." She ended bluntly, tilting her head to look at the ground. Itachi was holding her tightly, and she wasn't worried about falling.

But blood rushing to her head was not the most enjoyable of feelings. And besides! Itachi's clothes stayed the right way when _he_ stood upside-down, but hers didn't. This was bordering indecent!

Itachi gave her another strange look, but he complied. Stepping lightly against the bark, he positioned them so that they were standing atop a branch before he jumped deftly down. With a thump that was muffled by the leaves that were scattered about the ground, Itachi placed Kagome down almost gingerly, before his hands disappeared into the folds of his cloak.

Judging by the blank look on his face, Kagome knew that he wasn't planning on behaving anything like the strange Itachi who she'd met in the strange room in the strange world. He was back to being Red-Eyes. But they were friends now, so she didn't have to worry. Right?

Casting a quick, unsure glance over her shoulder, the odd look she was quickly growing accustomed to assured her. Red-Eyes, maybe. But he'd still be her friend when there was no one else to see. She was sure of that.

-::-

Sasuke's head spun when he heard Itachi touch down on the ground. He watched, wide-eyed, as he almost gently placed the strange girl who had just been behind him on the ground down in front of him, and as he stepped back into the exclusiveness that he knew to be his brother. He didn't know whether to be amazed at this strangeness in him, angry at the fact he had the girl now, or frustrated that he had pulled such a complete disappearing act on him. Was he still that much more powerful?

Sakura rushed to his side, and Naruto joined him not long after, rubbing his head in distaste. Sasuke stood silently, directing all of his attention at Itachi. There was absolutely no way that he was going to get away with this… and the stakes were instantly upped now that he had that strange girl hostage. Her posture made him question the hostage idea though, when she glanced at his brother over her shoulder briefly.

A wave of anger washed over him as he watched the strange, indefinable look flash through Itachi's eyes before it disappeared again. Sasuke wasn't sure as to whom he was angry at though… his brother, the girl, or himself?

Sakura's eyes followed Sasuke's hate-filled glare, back to the strange girl as she looked over her shoulder at his older brother. Was Sasuke jealous? Sakura highly doubted it. She knew that it was probably another one of the sibling rivalry things that she'd never experienced… like one child was upset that the other got something that he didn't.

However, she couldn't shake the feeling that if it was a sibling thing, that he was upset that the girl was with his brother. Sakura didn't want Sasuke to want this strange girl, whether or not Itachi had her. Looking back at the girl again, (when had she looked away?) she felt a bubble of hatred rise within her.

The girl looked to be a little older than they were, if not the same age. Her body was toned, from what little Sakura could see, in such a way that she herself could never hope to achieve. Further more, long raven tresses flowed freely behind her, dancing in the wind. Once, she had hair like that. She'd shorn her hair though, making a vow to herself.

It seemed that this girl had beaten her at her hair, and now her goal. So there were three things that she could add on her dislike list… she didn't want to make it _hate_ yet. There was always a chance, right? Number one, she had Sasuke's undivided attention. Major alerts going off there… she couldn't wait to tell Ino. Number two, she looked (not like a ninja) but more powerful than she was. How long had she worked to get where she was? And of course, number three… her hair was _way_ nicer than hers was… even when it had been long.

Great. A new rival. But… Ino was getting boring. Sakura wasn't sure whether to be excited or upset.

Naruto stood silently beside the other members of his team, looking at the strange girl clad in a deep green. There was something about her that set him on the edge of his toes, and made his stomach curl. He wanted… something. He wasn't sure what, yet.

Kakashi watched this all unfold curiously from up in his tree across the clearing. Unsure about the two, he flipped up his headband, hoping to be prepared for anything that might occur. Kisame sheathed his blade immediately, Kakashi all but forgotten. Moving across the clearing brusquely, he strode towards his partner and the girl with confidence.

"Itachi! We should leave now, before things get too over the top. You know that this was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance m-" Kisame was cut off abruptly, and as if he had walked into a wall, he was slammed to the ground.

Naruto stared in shock, before his loud guffaws filled the clearing. Sakura's giggled followed, but it was much clearer that she made an attempt to smother them. Itachi's mouth was open, frozen in the act of beginning to scold his partner, when Kagome took it over for him, as if reading his mind and stealing his words.

"You must be the stupidest person in the world! You can't go around walking around with no guard up and enemies in the clearing;" Kagome turned and glared into Kakashi's tree. "You should come out," she added before continuing to berate Kisame.

"That will get you killed. Don't be so cocky, either. Your nose was so far in the air that I could have chopped it off, and you'd be a good half-foot shorter!" Naruto's guffaws, which had been dying down, came back with renewed vigor, and Sakura's giggles mingled with them again, briefly.

"And what were you thinking, going around mouthing off about a mission? It's obviously a secret. And, with your enemies around, no less! I'd make a better ninja than you!" Kagome growled, pointing at him.

Kisame turned an interesting shade of purple, whether it be due to anger or embarrassment. "Watch who you're talking to, wen-" he stared, scrambling to his feet.

However, with a deft flick of her wrist, he was on the ground again, a swath of a barrier having been thrown and forcing him down again. Kagome smiled sweetly, a threat in her eyes.

"Don't you dare call me a wench, Blue-Gills." More giggles and laughs from Naruto and Sakura. "If you're going to talk to me at all, it's miko-sama. Even then, keep the talking to a minimum." Kagome said, her distaste clear.

She'd never really talked like this to anyone, never really having the chance. However, something about Blue-Gills really pissed her off. She noted with an odd wave of deja-vu that she was acting rather like InuYasha. She quieted, silently smoldering.

Itachi shut his mouth with a silent snap, hoping that no one else had seen his lower jaw hanging. It certainly wasn't attractive… and there was no way that having his mouth hanging open would be good for his image. Looking briefly at his brother, he wasn't at all shocked to see that he was staring darkly, right back at him. Itachi smiled a crooked smile, challenging his brother silently. He watched as Sasuke's face heated up predictably, and he turned away with satisfaction to Kagome, who was now silently staring at her feet.

Reaching out a hand, he placed it lightly on Kagome's shoulder, before leaning over to whisper in her ear. His eyes never left Kakashi's, where he was still hidden in a tree.

"_These people are our opponents. Distract them while I leave."_

Kagome shivered at the tone of his voice. She knew that the Itachi that she had met in the Tsukiyomi world wasn't going to be with her while everyone else was around, but she sure didn't like this cold exterior that he put on. Combined with his evil aura, it vaguely reminded her of Naraku.

"_Don't look so depressed." _Itachi's voice lightened slightly, as if he knew her thoughts. _"Do what they ask of you without too much of a fuss. I'm sure we'll meet again soon."_

With that, his hand and presence were gone. Kisame rose, grumbling, _again_, and Kagome sent him a sharp glare before he disappeared, presumably to go meet with Itachi.

Kagome sighed lightly, not sensing either of their auras anywhere in the vicinity. They were gone. Reaching a hand around her back, she unlatched the straps that secured her staff. It would serve as a walking stick as she made her way through the forest. She needed to get to a town as soon as she could, so that she could find out just where she was, and how she was supposed to get home.

Freeing her staff, she looked up as she sensed one of the three youngest aura's spike. Looking up, her eyes met up with a strangely familiar glare. Feeling her heart skip a beat under the intensity of the stare, she stared right back at the eyes that mirrored Itachi's.

_Perhaps everyone here has that strange thing that they can do with their eyes?_ Kagome mused, staring at the strange commas that marked this boy's eyes, just as Itachi's had. There were less of them in one eye, but that didn't seem to matter. A soft thud had Kagome's head whipping around to where the strange masked man dropped from a tree… she noted it was the man that she had told to get down earlier.

He walked with a steady pace towards her, and Kagome's grip tightened fractionally on her staff in anticipation. Was he going to fight her? Subdue her? Torture until she told of her connection to Itachi and Blue-Gills?

Kagome's panicking was in vain though, as he walked right past her to the three younger teens. Kagome could hear his voice float over to her. He was asking if they were all right. Were they related? What was this old-man's relation to the kids?

The dark-haired, red-eyed one said something bitterly, she noted. His posture told her enough… but she couldn't hear his voice. The one in orange said something that looked an awful lot like a retort, before the pink haired one silenced him with a well aimed smack over the head.

Kagome watched as the exuberant boy slumped to the ground, clutching his head. As she stared at him, it was then that she realized that something was off with him. He had a strange amount of power that was unlike anything that any of the others had… Kagome's eyes narrowed at his form, and she let some of her miko abilities seep into her eyes.

Her hunch turned out to be correct, as a demonic aura unfurled around the boy, licking like red fire around him. With a tense squeeze on her staff, she quickly replaced it, opting for her dagger instead. She had to investigate that aura, before it had the chance to hurt someone.

It was extremely large, she noticed, and it revolved around his stomach. Flicking the long dagger out of its sheath, she let her arm slump limply to her side as she strengthened her resolve. Had demons followed her into this strange place, or was this place just a little farther from the well than she had ever been before? Perhaps she was on the continent. Maybe she had never fallen through the well… or it had just dumped her somewhere still in the feudal era.

Kagome began taking languid steps towards the conversing group, and was not surprised when the old man almost instantly turned around. Kagome was not overly surprised to see that he wasn't in fact an old man, but a young man (maybe Miroku's age) with silver hair. It had more 'gray' in it than either InuYasha's or Sesshomaru's put together, seeing as their hair had a whitish-silvery quality to it. This had no white.

He narrowed his eyes at her, and Kagome was only mildly surprised again, to see that in his left eyes, three of the strange commas were sitting on their familiar red backdrop. Raising her hand, palm up, she began to form a quick, temporary barrier, to move the three unnecessary people away from the one in orange.

Naruto sensed the strange power lancing through the air before he saw it in motion, and he turned to Kakashi just as he was pushed away by an invisible force. Sakura and Sasuke, on his other side, were pushed away as well, as the woman continued to walk towards him.

The strange feeling that he had felt earlier crackled in his stomach, and he felt the surge of demonic power rising in response to the girl. It was in response to the girl, he realized, as for the briefest of instants a pink aura flashed around her form.

"I'm not going to hurt you, little one." She said quietly, melodically. Re-assuring.

Naruto couldn't get a word out of his mouth. Her power made his saliva thick. He could feel sharpened teeth in his mouth. His new nails were biting into his skin. His throat cramped. His stomach felt like it had been sucker-punched. What was this?

Kagome smiled, disarmingly. "I'm drawing out your demon. I just need to see him, little one, before I can decide what I'm going to do with you."

Naruto's eyes widened. He watched as the girl's eyes mimicked his, widening marginally. His eyes must have changed colour. Nonetheless, she continued forward, until she was within an arm's length of him.

Kakashi stiffened, outside of the strange force that kept him away from Naruto. He might not have been able to get to them, but their voices (just hers, as it was,) were as clear as day. This strange woman, who had supposedly fallen from the sky, knew about Naruto's demon.

The only conclusion that he could come up with, was that she was some kind of angel. But that in itself was totally preposterous, because she had no wings. Oh, and angels didn't fall from the sky, either, Kakashi added to himself dryly.

His eyes unfocused on the two in the barrier, before looking at his students on the other side of the barrier. Sakura looked a little worried, but Sasuke looked simply transfixed. He was staring at the girl with an odd look in his eyes, a mix between jealously, longing, and hate.

Kagome smiled, and kneeled in front of Naruto, taking one of his hands and uncurling his fingers. Naruto flinched at her primary touch, but her hands were soft, and he found himself being almost tickled by her feather-light touch.

He kept watching as she placed the little dagger, blade down, in the ground in front of her, easily in his reach. She inspected his hands, running her fingers over his calluses, and examining his claws. Dropping his hand, she moved her hand to his face, getting up from her kneeling position.

She traced his whisker marks, and looked at his undoubtedly red eyes. She smiled lightly, and muttered something that he barely caught. _"Kitsune…_"

Naruto started, his face jerking away from her hand. "How do you know?" he demanded, looking at her with almost accusing eyes. "First you knew there was a demon, and now you know the kind?"

Kagome stared at him, wide eyed for a moment. Then, she smiled apologetically, and did just that. "I'm sorry," she waved a hand, and the barrier waved, flickered into view, and disappeared again. "It's just, I'm a priestess. I can sense demons. My job is to purify them… I sensed your demon, and I had to find out whether or not he was a threat. Before I look at the demonic energy around your stomach, I wanted to see if I could figure out what kind of demon it was."

Naruto stared at her, his fangs peeking out through his opened lips. Kagome's eyes twinkled, as she gave him a little bow. "I hope you don't mind if I look?"

"No…" Naruto shook his head, his blonde hair whipping about rather furiously. "But… the floppy, electric feeling…" he trailed off, not really knowing what it was.

"Will be the demonic power reacting to my own powers. I won't hurt your demon yet, so you can tell him if you'd like. Though he can probably hear me…" she trailed off, eyes glazing over, before she blinked, and looked back at Naruto.

"Can you lift your shirt?" she asked, looking inquisitively at his stomach. Naruto felt urged to comply with this strange girl. She radiated a strange warmth that he found comforting, even if the Kyuubi didn't. He nodded, and undid his jacket, before lifting his black t-shirt compliantly.

Kagome sent a small wave of her power into his stomach, and she watched as a small raised spiral pattern emerged from around his navel. Naruto shivered as her hands brushed his stomach, and she giggled softly under her breath before looking up at him with a comforting smile. She watched as his tense face, anticipating pain softened at her smile, and then she made the connection to his demon's jail.

**-: THE KYUUBI'S CELL :-**

_Kagome looked around the dark interior of the cage she stood in front of. The walls were simple cement, and water dripped from a ceiling that she couldn't see. Similarly, below her, water rose to mid-calf height, and Kagome sloshed forward towards the golden bars that held the fox hostage._

"_**Human."**_

_Kagome looked up at the voice, and was met with rows of shining teeth, and a sharp red-eyed glare. Faintly in the light, Kagome could see little of the massive creature… little beyond his muzzle and his long floppy ears._

"_Kitsune," Kagome mocked, looking defiantly into his angered red eyes._

"_**How DARE you mock me!"**__ The fox roared, swing a clawed paw at Kagome. However, the claw stopped inches short from her face, as the bars prohibited it. Hissing, the great demon removed his hand. Kagome had allowed her aura to leak forward, and it had melted part of his claw._

"_You will cooperate." Kagome said sternly. "Or I will be forced to remove you completely from this boy. At least you still live."_

"_**Hah."**__ The great creature snorted.__** "This is not living. I can barely move about, and I only see what the boy sees. There is no one to share intelligent conversation with, and the boy himself only visits to ask for chakra. He needn't eve ask, but he insists."**__ Kyuubi mourned, shifting to rest his head on his feet._

_Kagome blinked, surprised. With a valid threat, the caged demon was reduced to no more than a grumbling Sesshomaru._

"_Might I offer several solutions?" Kagome asked, stepping forward._

_A blood red eye opened, and stared straight at Kagome. Kagome tensed, but did nothing more. She did not want to show weakness to this caged beast._

"_**What… do you propose?"**__ Kyuubi boomed, looking rather inquisitive._

"_Condense your aura and youki. Demons all have a more potent form, you know. It's more humanoid, and though you do no get the same freedom as in your natural form, you will have more room, and when Naruto does visit, you will be less frightening to him." Kagome said._

_She watched as Kyuubi rose onto all fours, and condensed his aura, until he was standing before her, looking very much like a tanned, orange-haired, marking-free Sesshomaru. Kagome grinned at the resemblance, before stepping through the bars, as if they were not there._

"_See? That wasn't hard now, was it?"_

_The Kyuubi merely snorted, and turned away from Kagome. She smiled at his back._

"_I will talk to Naruto. I'm sure he would like someone to talk to… you know better than any of us that he could use someone close. Besides that, I'm sure that with your cooperation, I can work out other arrangements." Kagome mediated, watching several orange tails twitch beneath long orange hair._

"_**For now, human."**__ The Kyuubi sneered, turning around. However, the sneer didn't remain in place, and it was replaced with a quieter, though more belligerent look. __**"I see no reason to listen to a human- and a priestess, at that."**_

_Kagome frowned, and stepped away, and out of the cage. "We will see, then, won't we? When you're still being bored to death, perhaps I will visit you again, and give you another chance. If I feel so giving."_

_With that, Kagome closed her eyes, and flickered out of existence, her mind returning to her body, and a heaving Naruto._

-::-

Naruto shivered, taking several more deep breaths. His stomach was throbbing, pulsating, as if he had eaten something that didn't agree with him. However, it wasn't pain so much as an awkward feeling- though either way, uncomfortable.

He felt the girl's power ripple, and the tingling sensation disappeared as she withdrew herself into her body, and removed her hand. Bright blue eyes stared at him, and she blinked a few times, and smiled.

"You'll find your friend much more agreeable, now." She said, standing up and pulling Naruto with her. "And I'm sure he'd like it if you visited more often. Perhaps I'll teach you how to bring him gifts?"

Naruto stared, completely surprised. For a moment, he was completely unable to form words, and Kagome only looked on, a wide smile on her face. She waved her hand, and the barriers disappeared.

"O-okay." Naruto said hesitantly, and smiled.

As soon as Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke realized that the barriers were missing, they rushed forward, and Kagome stepped out of the way as they examined a grinning Naruto. Sasuke was the only one who turned to look at the girl, as she was walking away.

"Kakashi…" he said, and continued to watch as she strapped her staff to her back, and sheathed her dagger. Kakashi poofed out of exsistance, and was disappointed when she didn't shriek when he appeared right in her path.

"Yes?" she asked, her voice mocking. Kakashi noted that her hands were on her hips. She was not standing in an aggressive stance, but from what he had seen of her so far, he was slightly confused.

"Who are you?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Kagome Higurashi," she replied, glaring at him.

"Where are you from?"

"Tokyo,"

"What village is that in?"

"It's not a village,"

"Then where are you from?"

"Not here, obviously." Kagome snapped, feeling rather irritable all of a sudden. What was with all the idiotic people asking her idiotic questions?

"If you're not going to help, then leave me alone. If you haven't noticed, I'm in an unfamiliar world, and in the middle of the forest with three children and an old man with Alzheimer's."

"Hey!" Naruto protested, and walked angrily over. "I'm not a child! I'm almost sixteen!"

"Really? Then you're younger than I thought you were." Sasuke replied, walking over with his hands in his pockets. "I'm turning seventeen in a few weeks."

"REALLY?" Sakura gasped, skipping over. "When's your birthday, Sasuke-kun?"

"Tch. Like I'd tell you?" Sasuke scoffed with a frown.

"Why not?" Sakura whined.

"You'd throw me a party."

Sakura remained silent.

"When's your birthday, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked, a goofy grin on his face.

"It's passed." Sakura said, in a depressed voice. Naruto sighed sadly.

Kagome stared at all this in surprised for a moment, before she looked to the tallest of the three, the one who looked like Itachi.

"You," she said, looking at Sasuke. "Red-Eyes Junior. What's your name?"

Sasuke was startled, but he covered it with a frown. "Sasuke Uchiha," he replied.

Kagome stalked over to him with a gait that seemed foreign. Her footsteps were heavy, yet gentle and delicate at the same time. Sasuke sent a glare at her as she marched purposefully forward, and frowned.

_Red-Eyes Junior?_

"What did you call me?"

"Red-Eyes Junior. Got a problem with it?"

"Yes."

Kagome frowned, her forehead becoming deeply distorted. He was just as stubborn as Itachi!

"Are you not," Kagome intoned gruffly, "related to Itachi-chan?"

Sasuke froze, as did Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto. All were shocked beyond sound at Kagome's choice of suffix. Kagome just stared at Sasuke, her glare firmly in place, and her hands on her hips.

"Well? Are you?"

Sasuke resisted the urge to kill the girl in front of him. Mumbling incoherently, he turned from Kagome, and fisted his hand. Naruto looked from Sasuke to Kagome, and started to laugh. Sakura was still shocked, and Kakashi decided that it was time to step in again.

"Excuse me, Higurashi-san?"

"It's just Kagome." She said, turning around, away from Sasuke.

"Uh, okay." Kakashi said, before leading her away from Sasuke and towards the village. "Well you see, the Uchiha are far and few between. Itachi and Sasuke are the last two left alive."

Kagome seemed rather shocked at this announcement, and her mind drifted back to Itachi, before it made it's way to Sango and Kohaku. "So they are related then?"

"Ah…" Kakashi grinned sheepishly, "As much as they would love to deny it, they are."

Kagome grinned softly, her mind still a world away with her slayer friend and her brother.

"But they hate each other, and try to kill the other one every time they meet." Kakashi continued, heedless of Kagome.

"Really?" she asked, an image of Sango and Kohaku embracing changing to a clash of swords between InuYasha and Sesshomaru.

"As sad as it is," Kakashi said, with a sigh. "At least they have family- poor Naruto doesn't."

"Naruto?" Kagome gasped.

"His family has been dead for a while, now." Kakashi said. "His father died trying to save him."

Kagome's mind drifted to Shippo, who was probably wondering where she was.

"But on a lighter note," Kakashi grinned, and looked over Kagome's shoulder to see his three students following a ways behind.

Kagome tuned Kakashi out, as she marveled at the similarities between this strange world and her own. How was it that almost all of the people she knew in the Feudal Era were copied here? Was this some kind of alternate dimension? One that lived alongside her own?

"… which is why Sakura is the most normal of any of my students." Kakashi finished, Kagome's mind coming back to her body abruptly.

"I see," Kagome said, though she didn't.

All of a sudden, she felt very weary and tired. She wanted to do nothing more than go home… but how was she supposed to do that if she had gotten here from falling through the sky? There was obviously no way back _that_ way…

Kakashi watched as the miko sauntered ahead, and he hung back so he could talk with his students. Sasuke was still silently fuming, and Naruto was still chuckling, while Sakura looked depressed, and trailed behind Sasuke.

"Naruto, why don't you go walk with Kagome-chan? I'm sure she enjoys your company." Kakashi said, and Naruto grinned before he bounded off to Kagome's side to talk about the Kyuubi.

Once he was out of hearing range, Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "Look, I'm going to take her to Tsunade, to see what she thinks about Kagome's story. She'll be kept in the village for a while, if my assumptions are correct, because Tsunade is going to want time to research everything about Kagome."

"Imagine what that means to me…" Sasuke grumbled, not meeting Kakashi's eyes.

Kakashi sighed. "What I'm trying to tell you, is that Kagome is going to be assigned to stay somewhere, where someone can keep tabs on her. Sakura, Naruto, and my homes are out of the question, which leaves you."

"What? Why?"

"Because we were the people to find her." Kakashi replied simply. "Tsunade will want to be as gracious to Kagome as possible, so that she might be easy to get information out of."

"This hasn't happened yet," Sasuke reasoned right back. "How do you know any of it is going to happen like that?"

"Because I know Tsunade," Kakashi replied, grinning, before catching up with Kagome and Naruto.

-::-

Kagome looked up at the tower with astonishment. It was one of the largest buildings she had seen so far… but it was strange, because for all the technological advancement that it seemed this city had, the building was made out of wood, with metal and concrete supports.

Kakashi didn't wait for Kagome to finish taking in the building, but walked inside, followed by a quiet Sakura, and a bouncy Naruto, who was eager to see Tsunade-baa-chan again. Sasuke remained outside, stonily watching Kagome's face light up. Why was he going to be put on baby-sitter duty? Why couldn't he be left alone?

Kagome looked to him, as if hearing his angry thoughts.

"Sorry," she said, smiling apologetically. Her face was sad, something that seemed a little out of place with her general countenance. Seeing his surprised look, she clarified.

"I'm sorry I called you Red-Eyes Junior. You just look so much like Itachi, and that's what I called him…" she giggled, but continued morosely. "I have… friends, who remind me of you and your brother."

The sad smile returned for a fleeting minute, before Kagome turned away and walked inside, leaving Sasuke staring at her as she retreated, the same dumbstruck look on his face from when the first word left her mouth seconds earlier.

**tbc.

* * *

**

**EDITED: 25/05/10**


	5. Home Sick

**A/N: **So, I know you all hate me and stuff, and you're thinking, "So she finally updated? Well why should I read it now?"

Well, I'll tell you why.

Because it's a freaking epic chapter, that's why.

And because I posted it just for youuuuu! (Whoever 'you' are...) That's why. There's a little bit of SasuKagome action- it's like... foreshadowing. Haha. And a couple of plot twists, though they're more like bends, rather than twists... Oh, and the song in this chapter is by Yuna Ito... (I forget the name of it.) It's from the NANA movie, if any of you have seen it... (It made me cry.)

But on with the story. Thank you, sincerely, for being so patient.

* * *

**Piano Man**

**V: Home Sick**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

Kagome hummed a tune to herself as she sat on the window ledge. The four ninja she has just met… Sakura Haruno, Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki, and Kakashi Hatake, were all chatting with this person that they called their 'Hokage'.

She was impressed with the view that met her eyes as she stared out at Konoha. Buildings were of all shapes and sizes, rooftops shadowing the streets in some areas. The closer it got to the tower she was currently in, the cleaner and refined the buildings got, looking more and more like cities she was familiar with. The further she looked the more creative and extravagant the homes got. Off in one direction- the south, she thought- big mansions ruled the area, surrounded by other buildings that looked like additional houses. She supposed they were for the more prominent families- the wealthy, noble class of Konoha.

She was taken out of her musings when a soft voice made itself known with a little 'ahem'. Turning from the window, she saw Sakura waiting at the door, looking rather meek. Kagome wondered if she was afraid of her… but shook her head. It didn't make sense- Sakura was a ninja. Ninja's were powerful. Itachi-chan proved that, right?

She followed Sakura into a larger room, decorated solely with a desk at one end, and four pictures on the wall behind it. Sasuke, Naruto, and Kakashi were standing in front of the desk, their backs to her. Sakura led her up to the desk, and Kagome found a blond haired, big-busted woman sitting at it, looking rather disgruntled.

"Eh… Hello," Kagome said, bowing at the waist.

The woman blinked her eyes a few times before a little smile crossed her face. "Hello. My name is Tsunade. I am the Hokage of Konoha."

Kagome smiled back. Maybe this wasn't going to be so hard- Tsunade seemed nice enough… and the four she had already met were nice, too. If everyone could just get along, then there wouldn't really be much of a problem.

No… the problem was how she was going to get back. She couldn't stay here… her job in the Feudal Era wasn't finished. She still had jewel shards to find… and how was she supposed to even get back to her _real_ home? In all of her ponderings and musings, Kagome didn't realize that the Hokage, Tsunade, had been talking to her. A sharp nudge in the ribs had quickly corrected that, courtesy of Naruto.

"Ah, yes? Sorry… I was just reminded of home." Kagome apologized, bowing. Tsunade looked minutely irritated, but it quickly vanished with a look of pity.

"That's all right. Being taken away from your home is a lot to take in all at once. I need you to stay in the city for a while, though, okay?"

Kagome nodded. She expected that this would come. And it wasn't like she had anywhere else to go, either.

"I assume you won't want to be by yourself… seeing as you're already in an unfamiliar place. So you can stay with…" Tsunade stopped, and scanned the four ninja's in front of her. Kakashi made a vague pointing gesture at Sasuke. "Sasuke. He won't mind, I'm sure."

With that, she looked at Sasuke, with a sharp look, and despite the irritated outlook he seemingly showed, he nodded. He had been forewarned- Tsunade could tell.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality," Kagome said, bowing to Tsunade, and then to Sasuke.

Sasuke looked rather surprised, but didn't think much of it. He knew that Kagome was putting on a face for the Hokage, he could tell. He could practically see the cogs in her head turning. And it wasn't like he knew for sure- but he recognized the look… he was certain he had worn it, and he _knew_ Naruto wore it, quite often.

Before he realized, the meeting had been wrapped up, and they had been dismissed. Walking out of the tower with his team, Sasuke watched as Naruto and Sakura interacted with Kagome, who didn't seem as responsive as she did before.

"Why don't you all go get something to eat before you all have to go home?" Kakashi said, before disappearing with a salute and a poof.

Naruto snapped to attention, before taking it upon himself to drag Kagome away to his favourite food in the whole wide world. Sasuke and Sakura followed at a much easier pace, in no rush to see Naruto cover himself and any who were sitting near him with half-eaten noodles.

By the time they met up with their teammate and Kagome at Ichiraku's, Naruto was already finished a bowl, and Kagome was halfway through hers. She ate much more delicately than Naruto, but it was clear that she had the same… vigor as Naruto, when it came to eating.

Naruto and Kagome finished eating at the same time, he being finished five bowls, her being finished three. Sasuke and Sakura sat down by the two, and ordered their own food- shrimp ramen for Sasuke, and beef ramen for Sakura. Kagome and Naruto were talking very animatedly about the benefits of instant food- and were both agreeing and disagreeing over various things.

Sasuke tuned them out after a little while, and turned his attention to his surroundings. Sakura was trying to start a conversation with him, but he honestly didn't really feel like talking. There was something eating at him, and the more he sat and tried to think of other things, the more Sasuke realized that he'd have to solve the riddle that was sitting and talking animatedly with his best friend in the appalling orange suit.

Sure, he had only known her for a day, but Kagome had already wormed herself into his older brother's life… and now, she had made her way into his. Was this something that had been pre-destined? Or was this really some kind of fluke? Had she really fallen from the sky?

Sasuke supposed that he'd have lots of time to think it over… he knew for a fact, that under Tsunade's scrutiny, she wouldn't be going anywhere for a while.

A while later, the four of them had collectively finished eating, and were strolling through a park, three of them munching on shaved ice. Sakura was sitting on a bench beside Sasuke, while Kagome had pulled Naruto aside, and was sitting beside him on the swings. Sasuke was staring at them as surreptitiously as possible… but he was fairly certain that Kagome had noted his gaze. They were out of hearing range, however, so it didn't matter.

"What do you suppose they've been talking about all evening?" Sakura asked him quietly. Sasuke, caught off guard by this new attempt to start a conversation, looked to his pink-haired teammate, only to find her eyes watching the pair on the swings.

"I'm not sure," he replied, watching Kagome flick shaved ice at Naruto. He responded in mock anger, and flicked some back. This began a flicking war, and by the time that they had run out of shaved ice, they were laughing so hard they looked like they were going to fall off the swings.

"Do you suppose Kagome likes Naruto-kun?" Sakura questioned, posing the question in a general manner. "Or maybe… Naruto likes her…?"

"Hn," Sasuke replied. His eyes narrowed at the thought of Kagome being enamored by the blonde-haired idiot… or frankly, Naruto liking her back.

Sakura watched Sasuke's response, and sunk further into herself. This new girl, Kagome, had caught Sasuke's attention, and Sasuke didn't seem to find anything wrong with that. Sakura knew she was out of her league… there was something that this girl had, that she didn't. Although she wasn't sure what it was, Sakura supposed that the mystery of her presence had something to do with it. What upset her even more than that, was that Naruto seemed taken with her too, and had apparently forgotten of his love for her. She didn't mean to feel greedy, but Sakura wasn't going to let this stranger steal the men from her life- not if she had anything to do with it.

Naruto and Kagome's hysterical laughter died down after a while, and they sat in a companionable silence on the old swing set.

"Eh… Naruto," Kagome started, wondering how to phrase the words she wanted to say.

"Hmm?" he said, turning his eyes from the sky to his newest friend.

"You know… I'm not from here, right?"

"Yes,"

"And… I probably won't be here for long… I mean, I won't be staying in this… world."

"Yes." Naruto said, cocking his head while his face took on a stonier expression. He wondered what she was trying to get at.

"Well, even though I might be leaving… Kakashi told me… you're all alone? And I know someone like you… but I'm not old enough… I was wondering-"

"_Yes?"_ he said, her babble strangely comforting.

"Well… _I_ have no family here either, and…" she stood from the swings. Naruto followed, eyes wide. "Will you be _my_ family? I'll be yours too." She said in a rush, wringing her hands together, suddenly nervous. She didn't want him to take it offensively… but she _was_ lonely, and he _did _remind her of Shippo…

Naruto felt his eyes sting as he looked at Kagome, silently. Kagome turned to meet his eyes, and Naruto saw the uncertainty in her eyes- the fear of being rejected. He saw her eyes glaze over too, and he felt a surge of warmth within his chest, a mixture of happiness and security.

"…yes," he said, his voice cracking. "I… I'd like that very much… Kagome-chan."

Kagome's tears flowed over her eyes and she pulled Naruto close to her, pressing her head between his shoulder and his neck, the same way she curled up with InuYasha. She felt the same sense of safety in Naruto's arms as she did with InuYasha, and despite being miles, years, and possibly worlds away from both her home and Feudal Japan, she felt comforted.

She clung to him as she felt sobs wrack her body- the fear at the thought of never being able to go home welling up inside of her. She wanted to be strong, and hold out for InuYasha… but she knew that this was one time that he wasn't going to be able to save her. This time, she was on her own…

Sasuke and Sakura watched this interchange, confused as Naruto folded Kagome up in his arms, lifting her as if she was weightless, cradling her to him the way a father would to his frightened daughter. Kagome didn't seem to mind much, as far as they could tell, and she was sobbing into the juncture of Naruto's neck and shoulder. Tears on her face and Naruto's neck caught the light of the setting sun, sparkling gently.

Naruto's eyes were closed as he held Kagome to him, and Sakura couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the scene- Naruto had never looked so beautiful. He stood there, his back to the sun, with Kagome in his arms for a few minutes, until the sun had completely set.

When Kagome's sobs had settled to raspy breathing, Naruto finally opened his eyes, and smiled down at the girl in his arms. She smiled back, albeit slightly watery, and squeezed him tightly.

"Thank-you, Naruto." She whispered.

"It's me who should be thanking you, Kagome-chan." Naruto said, the wisdom behind his words contradicting his age. "I've been hated and scorned for all of my life, left to live and suffer alone. But here you are, not having known me for a day- yet I feel closer to you than anyone I've ever met."

Kagome giggled, ruining the moment.

"What…?" Naruto's childish demeanor returned, and he blushed sheepishly. "I mean it!"

"You sounded like my grandpa for a moment there, Naruto." She laughed, and moved to pull away from him. It was then she realized that she was in fact in the blonde's arms, and she looked at him, surprised.

"You've been holding me up this whole time?" she queried. "Aren't I heavy?"

"Not at all, Kagome-chan," Naruto said, shaking his head. "You're the lightest person I've ever carried before."

Kagome had the decency to blush, before she smacked him lightly. "Well, you can put me down, it's all right."

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked, a concerned look in his eyes.

"Of course!" Kagome smiled, her eyes lighting with a gentle love that Naruto had never seen directed towards himself before. He wrapped the girl into his arms for a brief squeeze, before setting her down.

She was the closest thing to family he had ever had… and then it struck him. She was obviously too young to be a mother… so…

"Okay, hold up." He said, raising a palm to Kagome.

"Eh… yes?" she said, looking rather confused.

"So if we're family now, who's the older sibling?" he asked, narrowing his eyes playfully. Kagome allowed a devious grin to spread across her face, as she slid a hand around his waist.

"Who do you think is older, Naruto?" she asked, as he in turn wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they began walking towards Sasuke and Sakura, who were both sitting on the bench, silently, looking in opposite directions, looking slightly guilty.

"Me, of course!" he said, puffing out his chest importantly. "I'm your big brother, and I'll protect you from _anything_!" he said, thumping himself with his free hand.

"Oh, Naruto…" Kagome laughed a little at his antics, and he scratched his head, chuckling too. "You know, I'm turning seventeen in a couple of months."

"What?" Naruto cried, stopping and looking at Kagome in outrage. "_Soooo_ not fair. Why is everyone older than me? Don't think you'll get to boss me around." He pouted, and Kagome tugged him to her, reaching up a little to pat his head.

"It's okay." She said, smiling. "I won't boss you around. I shouldn't treat my protector poorly, now should I? And besides. Doesn't that make you pretty talented- to be working and fighting and whatnot with people older? You're as worthy as them- yet you're younger."

Naruto was silent as he searched for Kagome's logic, but was triumphant as he found it. "Of course, Kagome-chan. You're right! I'm so great- I love me!" he cackled.

Their conversation stopped as they finally made it to the bench, and Sakura and Sasuke rose to meet them.

"You're ready, then?" Sasuke said, looking at Naruto, and then down to Kagome, who was basking in Naruto's comfort.

"Yep!" Naruto chirped happily, Kagome smiling and nodding at his enthusiasm. "I'll see you tomorrow, Sakura-chan!"

"Okay, Naruto. Good night, Kagome, Naruto, Sasuke." She said, before crossing the park to her home, which was a street away.

Kagome, Sasuke, and Naruto continued walking in the direction that they all had to go in, and eventually, Naruto pulled Sasuke aside to talk to him as they kept walking. Kagome didn't seem bothered by this, and kept walking a little-ways ahead of them.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto started, shoving his hands into his orange pockets.

"Yeah?" Sasuke replied, his eyes not straying from Kagome as they walked forwards.

"I was wondering, if I could stay the night? Kagome shouldn't be by herself tonight."

"I'll be there, dobe." Sasuke replied, turning his frown on Naruto.

"Ah, wait." Naruto said, rubbing his forehead. "Let me explain what happened at the park."

Sasuke listened with masked interest as Naruto described his childhood vaguely, and then Kagome's request, and the loneliness that he could sense from her.

"She really needs some good people here, Sasuke. I just want her to know that she's not alone, like I was."

Sasuke frowned. He had lived alone so long, that it would be weird enough having someone else in his house, let alone two someone-elses in his house. But he had to agree with Naruto on one point… Kagome was very alone. If what she said was true, and she had fallen from the sky; and quite possibly another world, then she had _no one_. Despite the fact that she was now closer with Itachi _and_ Naruto than with him, he couldn't find it in himself to say no.

"Alright, Naruto." He sighed, stuffing his hands into his pocket, and turning away. An unfamiliar pang ripped through him, and he wondered where it came from. He watched Kagome walking, admiring the buildings and the shops closing down in the market place.

She smiled and said hello to the people who noticed her looking, and they replied in kind. She flitted around like a butterfly, trying to take in as much as possible, it seemed. Kagome seemed so innocent and childish, but something told him that there was more to her than met the eye. Why else would she be in the strange combat outfit? She had a staff in her possession- but Tsunade had been curious about it, and Kagome had left it there for examination. He didn't even doubt that she wielded other weapons too- yet they were concealed, and Tsunade didn't press the poor girl about them.

The girl was most certainly a mystery. Taking her bag off her shoulder, she reached into it, withdrew something and popped it into her mouth, before continuing on. Sasuke wondered vaguely about whatever it was she had withdrawn, but didn't dwell on it. If he was still curious later, he convinced himself, he could always look while she was asleep.

Naruto sped up beside him, and for the first time in a long time, Sasuke studied his face as the blonde walked past. Naruto's face was no longer childish and brash- it had changed into something older – harder- and was much more self-assured than it had been long ago; and with good reason.

He watched as Naruto linked arms with Kagome, and they continued through towards the abandoned Uchiha district. Sasuke didn't need lead Naruto there- he knew the way well enough. Sasuke didn't realize just how much he had slowed down until he reached the large house where Kagome and Naruto were waiting for him.

"Took you long enough," Naruto said, crossing his arms.

"Hush," Kagome chided, smacking his arm. "We're guests in Sasuke's house. Be polite."

Naruto mumbled something that made Kagome giggle, and Sasuke suppressed a sneer. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to let Naruto come.

Opening the door with his key, he let Naruto and Kagome –more for her sake than his –though the house, giving them a brief tour.

"This is the sitting area, just past the main door. The kitchen is at the back of the house, opening up to the back grounds. There is another room on this floor- but it hasn't been used in a long time, so I haven't bothered cleaning it. It's here, on the right of the hallway." Sasuke explained, touring them through the front areas. "You should just keep out of there."

He led them into the kitchen. "This is where I –I guess you guys, now too, eat. There isn't a lot of food right now, because I haven't done the grocery shopping yet."

Naruto sniggered, and without turning around, Sasuke heard Kagome's reprimanding smack on the arm again.

"There's also a bathroom down here, off to the right," he pointed, "and there's the back door to the left."

"To get to the Uchiha training grounds, follow the path lined with rocks. Otherwise, it's pretty much all forest, and you'll get lost. There's a little garden and pond, with an old dry well in the immediate area… but everything's over grown, because I haven't bothered."

Kagome stiffened at his description, and Naruto, worried, looked at her. Sasuke stopped as well.

"Kagome? Are you okay?" Naruto asked, tightening his arm, which was around her waist, in a gentle squeeze.

"Err…" Kagome was on the spot. Did she explain the well? Or keep it a secret? "The garden…! I mean… I can't believe you let it get overgrown! My mother's garden is her pride and joy. Maybe I'll do some work in it?"

Fumbling to regain her footing, Kagome lied. She didn't lie often- and she wasn't sure if it was the greatest idea, but she'd have to work around it. If the well _was_ her ticket home, then she'd need to keep it to herself as long as possible… lest someone try to interfere. Incidentally, she'd also given herself an excuse to be out there- if she ever got around to gardening, that is. She _hated_ gardening. Yet it looked like it would be a sacrifice she would have to make.

"Right. Do whatever you want, I suppose. It'll be pretty hard to bring it back to life, I think." Sasuke replied, looking through the open shoji door. "I mean, you can't even see the well anymore… but whatever. Come on- I still have to show you upstairs."

"Eh- wait!" Naruto said. He had disappeared from Kagome's side, and was now at the end of the hall, where a room Sasuke hadn't described sat. "What's in here?"

It was Sasuke's turn to stiffen. "It's an old compound room. It stays closed." He said, before turning and showing them the stairs by the bathroom. "Come on, then."

Naruto looked a little stung at Sasuke's snappish reply, but a look from Kagome kept his mouth shut, and he returned to her side. The two of them followed Sasuke up the stairs, and were surprised to see a floor-to-ceiling glass wall.

"It actually continues into the room downstairs," Sasuke said bitterly, "But it's closed up. You can get a nicer view of the garden from up here, anyways."

He led them down the little hallway, into a bigger L-shaped one, which was lined with seven rooms. "My room is the last one on the left," he said, turning the corner. "The room on the very end is the washroom, complete with bath and shower. The room across from mine and the room beside that are off limits. Which means there are four rooms for you to choose from… you can have whichever one you want. I don't care."

Kagome stepped up to the first door on her right. It was the only one on the right side of the hall that Sasuke would let her choose from. Opening the door, dust swirled in little eddies, and she let it subside before she entered.

Everything was slightly dulled by dust, but the purpose of the room wasn't lost on Kagome. "Did you have a sister?"

"No," Sasuke's voice was quiet. "I was supposed to be their little girl… but I was another boy instead. This would have been her room."

The room was painted a pale rose. There was a large bed at the far left end of the room, with a sheer curtain that fell over half of it. There was a large bay window with a window seat across from the door, and there was a chest of drawers, dresser, and what looked like a closet on the wall opposite the bed. There was also a crib in the corner of the room by the bedside, and a small little table with cushions in the very center of the room.

It was bare despite the furniture, Kagome couldn't help but notice. The room lacked little girl toys, and clothes, and _life_. "Is it okay if I stay here?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"Sure," he shrugged. "I don't really care. It's probably the most appropriate room for you anyhow."

Naruto cleared his throat. "I'll just crash across the hall."

Kagome looked at him strangely. "Don't you want to see which of them you want?"

"No, not really. It doesn't really matter." He said, shrugging his shoulders. "They're all nicer than mine, anyhow… and all I really need is a bed."

Kagome smiled softly, and hugged him tightly. "Goodnight," she said, before she disappeared behind the door.

"Night," Naruto smiled. Sasuke nodded stiffly, but Kagome was already gone.

"Later, teme." Naruto said, slightly subdued. Sasuke watched him disappear behind the door across from Kagome's, before walking around the corner to his room.

Soundlessly sliding into his sheets, Sasuke didn't even bother to change into pajamas. Thoughts, questions, and memories whirled around his head, and his head was starting to hurt. He slipped into a thankfully dreamless sleep quicker than he ever had before- perhaps because he wasn't alone in his house anymore.

-::-

Sasuke sat up, groggy and stiff. Looking out the large window by his bedside, he realized that the sun hadn't even risen yet. So what had woken him?

Peeling off his shirt, which was damp with sweat, he flopped back down on his pillow intent on going back to sleep. No sooner than he had closed his eyes, he heard the sound that had woken him. A plonking sound came from below him.

Rising in his bed, he sat still, listening for it again, just to prove that he wasn't imagining things. A few moments later, it came again- though it was slightly higher.

The sound was followed by several others, which came together into a short melody that he couldn't place. It was then that he realized someone was in the room at the end of the hall downstairs.

Rising out of bed and rushing down the hall as silently as he was able to, he approached the door, which was slightly ajar. Peeking around it, he first noticed that the curtains, which he had shut _years_ ago, had been reopened. He could faintly make out the garden in the moonlight; but more clearly, he could make out the figure who had been the source of the noise.

Sitting in the middle of the room, was his mother's old grand piano. Memories of her sitting there, playing for him, assaulted his memory, but he forced them back like bile. Now, Kagome sat at the bench, her profile to him. Facing the window, both her and the piano were bathed in moonlight, the piano still managing to reflect it dully despite the dust.

Kagome played a few mournful chords, before they came together into the melody he had heard earlier. Her fingers flowed like water across the keys- his began to itch for the ivory and ebony again. His mother had taught him long ago- yet he had stopped playing once he started going to the Academy.

Bathed in the silvery light of the moon, he couldn't help but imagine Kagome as his mother- her hair, and even her size was so similar to the one in his memory. But when Kagome opened her mouth and started singing, the comparison stopped, because he had never heard a fairer voice.

"_If you haven't changed your mind;_

_Soba ni ite hoshii yo_

_Tonight_

_Tsuyogaru koto ni_

_Tsukareta no_

_Osanasugita no _

_Everytime I think about you baby _

_Ima nara ieru_

_I miss you _

_It's hard to say _

_I'm sorry…"_

Kagome's eyes didn't linger on the keys or on her hands like his mother's did, however. Her eyes were closed, and her face was upturned to the moonlight as she played, the pale light creating soft shadows across her skin through her hair and her eyelashes.

"_Memories of our time together _

_Kesanaide kono mama_

_Don't go away…"_

Her voice was soft, but it seemed to echo hauntingly through the empty room as Sasuke continued to watch. He remembered Naruto saying that he felt a strange loneliness in Kagome, and he couldn't help but feel like he knew exactly how the blonde ninja felt.

Had he been braver, or less self conscious, perhaps he would have found a way to express himself when he was younger, instead of becoming the moody recluse that he was. That wasn't to say that Sasuke regretted his decisions- because he didn't. There weren't many things he was unsure about in his life, and Sasuke had vowed to himself long ago to stick to his instincts and follow through on his decisions. Yet staring at this strange, black haired girl as she sang her sadness to the moon, Sasuke couldn't help the strange emotions that began to stir in the pit of his stomach after almost a decade of solitude.

"_Wo owaranai story_

_Tsuzuku kono kagayaki ni _

_Always_

_Tsutaetai zutto eien ni…"_

Sasuke watched her as she continued to play the mournful song. Her hands were whispers on the keys, and he was so enraptured by the gentle curves of her pale skin in the moonlight that he didn't even realize he had been leaning forwards until he put too much pressure on the door. It creaked, and Kagome abruptly stopped her playing, turning her head sharply. It was then that she seemed to remember that she wasn't supposed to be there. Closing up the piano, she ran her hand along it lovingly, before closing up the room exactly as she had found it, and rushed away silently.

Sasuke, meanwhile, watched her return to her room from his spot on the ceiling, glad that she didn't think to look up. Landing with a quiet thud, he turned and looked at the closed up room.

_She looked so sad…_

If there was one thing that he could safely say he knew about the mystery that shrouded this _Kagome_, it was that they shared the same loneliness. Walking back towards the stairs, now that he'd given Kagome enough time to close herself back in her own room, he glanced one last time at the door at the end of the hall. _Maybe one day I'll be strong enough to share my sadness._

**tbc.**

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**EDITED: 30/05/10**


	6. The Music Store

**A/N: **Wow, it's been a while. Sorry about the wait... lots of stuff happens in this chapter... hope you enjoy it! :D

If you're curious, the song that Neji plays in this chapter is a theme from Naruto; _Sadness and Sorrow_. Or at least, he plays the opening chords, anyways. The song Kagome plays is _To Loves End_, from InuYasha. I can play it on the piano. It's sssssooooooo pretty...

Anyways, please review, and let me know how you're loving (or hating, I suppose) how this story is turning out!

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**Piano Man**

**VI: The Music Store**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

Kagome rolled over, tucking her hand under her pillow. Dawn crested gently over the treetops, and the sun shone gently through the window creating a pattern beside her head. She had discovered a piano in the room that Sasuke didn't want anyone in… she suspected whoever it belonged to was someone that he didn't want to remember.

She thought back to her restless evening, remembering the feelings that had led her to the piano.

_Opening her eyes, Kagome looked around at the pale walls, soaking in their unfamiliarity. No matter how she looked, no matter what she thought, the sights were still so foreign. She was unaccustomed to seeing the colours, the landscapes, the faces._

_Sleep wouldn't come. Rising from her temporary bed, she stretched before sliding to the floor on her toes. Kagome found herself looking for constants- things to take comfort out of. Naruto was the first one she had found; a fellow lonely soul, one she was only too glad to accompany. As she snuck out of her room, her eyes drifted down the hall, where she knew her unwilling host was sleeping._

_Cocking her head, she listened for any sign that either he or Naruto were awake. Her sensitized ears only picked out the creaking of the house in the night, but she still decided that it would be best to continue on slowly and cautiously. Inching into the hall, she scrutinized the dark hallway. No signs of life._

_Tiptoeing downstairs, she marveled at the beautiful woodwork. It had been a long time since she'd seen such detailed work, though it was creaky and dusty with obvious age. _I wonder how long this place has been empty, save Sasuke… she_ marveled._

_At the base of the stairs, her eyes were drawn by the door that Sasuke had easily dismissed earlier. It called to her curiosity, and knowing that she was the only conscious person in the house, she crept forward, swinging open the door._

_The room was unusually light, considering that night wrapped around the Uchiha complex like a blanket. Curtains obscured the light, and she headed towards them first. The room seemed to be mostly empty, but there was a large portion of the room that was enshrouded with darkness. Grasping the heavy curtain, she tugged it open, watching the dust lift off the cloth and dance in the revealed moonbeams._

_Peering out the window, Kagome caught sight of moonflowers that curled throughout the wild garden, protecting the obscured dry well. _But that's an adventure for daylight;_ she smiled to herself. _Besides, I can't be too obvious, now…

_Turning back to the room, Kagome felt her heart thud heavily. It was dusty, yes, with disuse and age. But there was no mistaking the figure underneath the blanket…_

"_A grand piano…" she sighed, like a long lost lover._

_Creeping forward, she approached it slowly; afraid it was going to disappear. The bench was tucked under the piano; so similar to the way she would leave the one at the studio downtown. Pulling it out, she seated herself on the dusty cushion, and swept the cloth to the side. More dust flew into the air, but Kagome didn't care. _A piano… a piano_. The words ran through her mind like a broken record._

_Taking great care, she lifted the cover that hid the keys, the smooth, glossy black surface twinkling in the moonlight. Finally, her eyes rested on the ebony and ivory of the delicate piano keys… and it took her breath away. Resting her fingers delicately on the keys, she soaked in the familiar sensation before playing a few chords experimentally._

_It was still in tune._

_She could have laughed in delight._

_Picking a song out of her memory, she searched her mind for the chords that opened the song. As soon as she played the first note, the rest of the song flowed from her mind to her fingers, and the floodgates were open. The words came to her mouth, and she sung softly, remembering everything that had led her to this point._

_The song and the lyrics gently encircled her like a blanket, and for the second time, she didn't feel quite so lonely in this new, strange place. She wondered how InuYasha, Sango, Miroku, Kirara and Shippo were holding out with her mysterious disappearance… but the thought of Shippo carried her mind upstairs, to where Naruto was fast asleep._

That's right… I'm not alone here.

_A faint smile stretched its way across her face, and she closed the piano hurriedly, returning the room to the way she had found it. Creeping out the door, she shut it softly, scouting the area once as a precautionary gesture, before creeping up the stairs and to the room across from hers._

_She hesitated only a moment at the door._

I'm not alone here…

-::-

A grunt sounded softly through the morning, and she rolled over, only to come face-to-face with a tousled head of blonde hair.

"Morning, Naru-chan," she giggled, pressing her forehead into the blonde hair, and inhaling the Naruto's musky scent.

"Hhrng, Kaa'ome," he mumbled, pressing closer. His warm arms encircled her protectively. "What're y' do'n here?" his words were thick with sleep.

"I couldn't sleep," she whispered, "I hope you don't mind,"

"Course n't." he grunted again, rolling over with her tight in his arms. Kagome let out a little laugh of delight despite her melancholy morning mood. "Go back t' sleep."

"But I'm hungry!" she protested, wriggling out of the blankets and his arms. Stretching her rested limbs, Naruto's stomach agreed with her statement, and she watched as he yawned widely, before rising as well.

Kagome got a good look at Naruto's tanned, finely muscled stomach as his black shirt stretched over his boxers. It was at Kagome's curiously-amused glance that Naruto seemed to realize his state of undress. His face pinked, and he quickly shoved Kagome out of the room.

"Not funny!" he grumbled, but was answered only by Kagome giggles.

Sasuke, who had lain awake in his room for a long time, stepped out, dressed casually in a black shirt and white shorts long enough to see Kagome, clad in little more than a tank top and a indecent pair of sleeping shorts, scrambled back into her room full of giggles and with a bundle of clothing in her arms.

_Was she… with… Naruto?_ Sasuke couldn't help as his mind began to spin scenarios, and he had to shake his head rather vigorously to remove the potentially damaging (ego damaging, that is,) images in his mind from progressing and further.

Naruto popped out of his room a moment later, touseled, but very awake. "Sasuke, what're you doing in the middle of the hall?"

Sasuke stared at Naruto for a moment, who studied him right back. Then, breaking the tension, Kagome popped out of her room wearing slim-fitting pants, and a plain baggy shirt that was partially obscured by an orange sweater- which Sasuke quickly recognized as Naruto's. Turning back to Naruto, he realized that the boy was indeed clad only in a black shirt and his pants from yesterday.

"So that's where my sweater went," Naruto grumbled, but he didn't seem to mind that Kagome was wearing it. Sasuke felt an angry feeling curl and roll over in the pit of his stomach, but he smothered the sensation.

"Hope you don't mind," Kagome laughed, her eyes dancing merrily. She turned to Sasuke, her wide smile rather infectous. Sasuke allowed his scowl to melt away, but refused to smile. "Good morning, Sasuke."

"Morning," he replied, walking past the pair and heading downstairs.

"Do you have anything to eat?" Kagome's voice followed him down the stairs. Soft footsteps told him she was following him too.

He paused at the base of the stairs, staring long and hard at the door down the end of the small hall. Kagome slowed behind him, perhaps in guilt, but he continued on, and felt as she did so too. Naruto thumped down the stairs behind her.

"No- I was planning on doing some shopping-"

"Let's go get ramen!" Naruto said, popping up from behind Kagome, disappointed that she wasn't startled.

"Na-ru-to," Kagome drew out his name in a way that disgusted Sasuke. "We had that last night. Don't you ever eat anything else?"

"No, not really," Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Idiot," Kagome smacked him rather affectionately. "Sasuke, can I come shopping? I mean, cooking is the least I can do, right?"

Sasuke noted the familiar interaction between Kagome and Naruto. Kagome was puttering around the kitchen, peering in cabinets and learning the layout of the room. He didn't interrupt her- he actually hated cooking.

"Hn," he replied, scouting for his pouch of money.

"Let's just stop by my house so I can change, okay?" Naruto said, already on his way to the front door.

"Who said you were coming?" Sasuke started to say, but realized both of his house guests were already out of the house. Sighing, he grabbed his keys and money, and followed them out.

-::-

Sasuke watched, mildly amused, as Kagome did her best to keep a rein on Naruto. It was a fairly amazing feat, considering the blonde was a ball of energy, but she seemed to manage it like she had been doing it for years. Even the stall owners, who weren't the most pleased by Naruto's presence, seemed to overlook it at a gentle smile from the girl who was wearing his jacket.

Finally, after Kagome had stopped Naruto from spending all of Sasuke's money, Naruto had taken to picking at her clothing.

"What are these called, again?" Naruto tugged at a belt loop at Kagome waist. Sasuke felt the beast rumble in displeasure, but ignored it.

"Jeans," Kagome replied, her attention elsewhere.

"You shouldn't be allowed to wear these anymore." Naruto proclaimed, sending a sly look over his shoulder at Sasuke, who was watching Kagome carefully, trying to figure out why Naruto thought she shouldn't wear jeans. He missed the smug, blue-eyed look the blonde sent him.

"And why not?" Kagome responded as she paid for some apples, oranges, bananas, and tomatoes from a fruit vendor.

"They're just encouraging perverts to scope you out," Naruto replied, watching as Sasuke abruptly turned to the nearest stall, and pretended to be busy.

_Damn that Naruto!_ He thought as a raging head spread across his face. _I should kill him! Who would have figured he would be so perceptive!_ Sasuke's mind ground to a halt for the second time that day. Naruto was perceptive? That would mean that he, _Sasuke_, had noticed how Kagome looked in those slim-fitting jeans.

_But I couldn't care less,_ He thought, and continued his slouching walk after a bouncing Naruto and ignorant Kagome.

"I wear them because they're convenient," Kagome said, giving Naruto a look from the corner of her eye, warning him not to cause trouble. They entered a small square, where a few other early morning shoppers who were taking a break lingered.

"Convenient?" Naruto questioned, interested now in Kagome's strange clothes for a reason other than to poke fun at Sasuke. "How?"

"Well, if someone should sneak up on me, I'll be able to _move_ in these clothes. Defend, fight back… that kind of stuff. And they're less conspicuous than my gi," she pointed out.

"Snuck up on you?" Naruto spoke aloud, wondered just what Kagome did on a day-to-day basis that would warrant people sneaking up on her. "Like this?"

Spinning around, Naruto made to grab Kagome from behind, but Kagome was already one step ahead of him. She had placed her baskets on the ground, and had used his momentum to sidestep and hop over his shoulders before Naruto had even touched her. Sasuke couldn't help his surprise._ She's fast._

"You'll have to do better than that to surprise me, Naruto." Kagome grinned, picking up the fresh fruit and bread, waiting as Naruto picked up the meats she had purchased. "I've had lots of practice."

Sasuke followed them, wordlessly, but caught Kagome's glance back at him. He wondered if she was checking for his reaction, or making sure he was still behind them.

They were slowly wandering away from the food sections, he realized, looking around. They were fast approaching the Yamanaka Flower shop, and Sasuke realized that he _really_ did not want to explain Kagome, or Kagome and Naruto to Ino and her big mouth. However, Kagome had been stopped by a storefront, and Sasuke, slowing to a stop beside her, looked to see what had caught her interest.

"The music store?" Naruto questioned aloud. Kagome, however, wasn't listening, and didn't respond. Walking forward, she stepped into the store, eyes wide. Naruto and Sasuke glanced at each other at the same time, and followed her in.

Kagome felt a familiar thudding of her heart as she took in all of the store. Instruments, the same as hers at home, shone in front of her eyes. Flutes, , trumpets, saxophones, violins, guitars; acoustic, bass, and electric, laughed and whispered to her from the walls. Posters of musicians that she didn't know watched her from all around. Guitar strings, violin strings, piano strings hung on a small display. Various music books were stacked in shelves off to the right. Kagome wandered through the store, her eyes wide with delight, awe, and a longing.

Sad harmonies wafted through the store, and Kagome knew without a doubt that it was a violin. Following it through the shelves, she listened to the sorrowful chords as the bow danced over the strings with a mastery she couldn't dream of having herself.

In the back, several instruments were set up for customer test-use, she guessed; a keyboard, several different guitars, a precussion set, and other brass and wind instruments. Amongst them, a tall dark haired figure stood in profile, playing the violin, pausing a moment to tune it.

Kagome placed her baskets on the ground, listening. Sasuke and Naruto wound their way through the store slowly, taking in everything with wide eyes. Finally, they found Kagome in the corner of the store, enraptured by a figure playing the violin. It took a moment, but as he turned, they recognized him simultaneously.

However, he ignored their presences, instead reaching into his pocket and pulling out the hanker-chief used to polish the wood of the violin. He handed it to Kagome, his pale eyes concerned.

"Are you all right, miss?"

"Yeah, sorry. I don't know why I'm crying- and all over this violin cloth, no less," she laughed sadly.

"It's quite all right," the man said. He towered over her as he rose, clearing her head by almost a foot. Finally, he turned his pale eyes towards Naruto and Sasuke.

"Naruto, Sasuke," he nodded in greeting.

"Neji," Sasuke replied, his tone carefully neutral. Naruto left his baskets with the ones Kagome had dropped, and wrapped the girl up in his arms. Kagome was wiping at her red eyes.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Neji replied, turning to place the violin back on the stand.

"Ah, that's my fault," Kagome said, giving Naruto a reassuring squeeze and placing the cloth back in the open violin case. "I just love music," she continued. "I couldn't help myself."

Neji granted her a small smile. "My name is Neji Hyuuga," he replied, stretching out a pale hand, and grasping hers gently, giving it a shake as he brushed his thumb across her knuckles.

"Kagome," she replied, a smile and a faint blush colouring her cheeks. Sasuke fought back a scowl. Her nose was still red from her tears, god damn it!

"What are you doing here, Neji?" Sasuke questioned, following Neji and Kagome as they headed around to the counter. Naruto, scooping up the baskets, followed as well.

"I work here part time," he replied shortly, before returning his attention to Kagome. "Can you play at all?"

"Well," Kagome blushed again. "I've dabbled in several instruments, but my favorites, and what I'm best at, would have to be the piano and the flute." She smiled shyly.

Neji sent her a rather disarming smile of his own, rather uncharacteristically so. Sasuke, glancing at Naruto, discovered that Naruto too felt Neji to be acting rather strange. Was it possible that Kagome had captured _his_ attention, too?

"Since you've heard me play," he said, reaching down under the counter. "Will you grace me with some music of your own?"

Kagome, wide eyed, accepted the flute he handed her, hesitantly. "Umm, but I," she hesitated, though her fingers grasped the metal instrument familiarly.

"Please Kagome? Neji doesn't mind," Naruto said, leaning against the counter now, rather curious as to his new sister's talents.

"Business is fairly slow," Neji admitted. "Music isn't the greatest money-making business around,"

"Uh, all right, I guess," Kagome smiled. "Just a second,"

She turned around, so that she wasn't facing them, and aligned the flute with her lips, cocked her arms, and ran her fingers experimentally over the note keys. Playing a few notes, she was satisfied with the flute, and she turned around to face them.

"I'm a little rusty," she said, pink dusting across her nose, and she closed her eyes and began to play.

Faintly at first, Kagome began to weave a bittersweet tune, but the notes slowly became stronger until they filled up the deceptively large music store with their melody. Kagome played for a few minutes, before slowing to a stop, blushing as Neji and Naruto clapped appreciatively.

"That was wonderful," Neji smiled. Naruto could only agree.

"Rusty my ass- that was pretty amazing!"

"Ah," Kagome was pink. "Thanks,"

"I must insist you keep the flute, Kagome," Neji said rather grandly, and Naruto shot him another suspicious look. "Only you will do it justice,"

"I can't," Kagome replied, trying to hand it back. Neji, however, would have none of it.

"I insist," Neji repeated, pulling out a case to go with it. "Besides, we have several flutes, and that one just so happens to be second hand, and at a discounted price anyhow. I must do what I can to assure it a loving home, and where better?"

Naruto reached across to Sasuke, and tugged him away. Sasuke followed without complaint, and several aisles away, Naruto began to speak in angry, hushed tones.

"Where does Neji get off being so chivalrous all of a sudden?" the blonde raged. "What is that sneaky bastard up to?"

"Who knows," Sasuke replied, his own thoughts spoken aloud by Naruto.

"I'm not going to let him get away with anything…" Naruto grumbled, heading away. "Guess we're going to have to keep a close eye on that sneaky bastard…"

We_ indeed_… Sasuke replied inside his head, returning to the counter where Kagome was clutching the small flute case to her chest.

"Ah! There you are," Kagome giggled, Neji's pale-eyed stare intense. "Don't we have to be going… somewhere…?"

Hearing Kagome's silent plea for help, Sasuke scooped up two of the baskets, Naruto gathering the other two. "Hn. Home to _my house_ for breakfast." Sasuke subtly put emphasis on the words, watching as Neji's eyes narrowed at him.

_That's right, bastard. My house. She's staying with me._ Sasuke felt strangely territorial.

Naruto and Kagome were already heading towards the door. Sasuke broke his staring contest with Neji.

"Feel free to come and visit whenever you'd like, Kagome-chan," Neji called, giving her a soft smile and a wave, which Kagome returned as the three of them shuffled out the door.

**tbc.

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**

**EDITED: 30/05/10**


	7. The Well

**A/N:** Sorry this has taken so long... I really wanted to get this out before I left on my vacation, but that didn't happen. It's happening now though, so don't hate me too much.

This chapter has some fluff between Sasuke and Kagome... long awaited, perhaps. I hope you all enjoy... I'm not quite satisfied with the final product, but I might go back and re-write it... someday. HAHA.

Also, if you're interested, the song Sasuke plays this chapter is Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. And here is your fair warning; there's a whammy of a cliffie at the end of this chapter… that might just be the only thing about this update that I like. Be sure to drop me a line and tell me what you think!

* * *

**Piano Man**

**VII: The Well**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

"What was that?" Naruto spouted, carting the baskets and rushing to catch up to Kagome who had her new instrument clutched to her chest.

"What?" she said, keeping herself a step ahead of Naruto.

"Neji's never like that," Naruto replied, matching Kagome's pace. "He was practically…" he paused for the right word.

"Flirting?" Sasuke supplied, his voice dark.

"Yeah!" Naruto made a fist. "What does he think gives him the right?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto as he ranted about Neji and his balls, and instead focused his attention on Kagome. She was careful to keep several steps ahead of the boys, so Sasuke couldn't see her face, but she was clutching the flute to her like it would fly out of her grasp should she loosen her grip.

_Is she…_ Sasuke wondered at the directions his thoughts carried him. Was she _enamored_ by that pale-eyed whacko?

Kagome glanced over her shoulder, and Sasuke's scrutinizing eye caught a faint dusting of pink across the bridge of her nose and cheeks.

She _was_!

Fisting his hands uncomfortably in his pockets, he asked himself why he cared at all. It wasn't his business if she liked Neji… or even if Neji liked her. She was her own person- he knew nothing about her. Who was he to judge?

The wicked beast in the pit of his stomach stirred at his thoughts, and raged. Forcing down the feeling with a swallow, Sasuke sighed, blowing his fringe from his face before turning his attention to Naruto, who was still mumbling about some kind of injustice.

"Dobe," he snapped.

"What? Bastard, don't call me that!" Naruto shot right back, sticking his tongue out and moving to walk beside Kagome. Sasuke growled at his back.

It seemed like everyone was set on keeping Kagome a mystery.

-::-

Kagome, having hidden her present in her temporary bedroom, was in the kitchen concocting something that she normally would have called breakfast. Upon looking clearly for the first time at all the ingredients she had purchased, she decided that the best plan would be to make omelets.

Having diced up several vegetables; namely, onions, peppers and tomatoes, she had turned her attention to the fresh fruit she had also insisted on purchasing. Selecting several from the fruit basket from the table, she chopped those up as well, creating an impromptu fruit salad.

"Naruto!" she called. "Sasuke! Come into the kitchen- food is almost ready!"

She heard the boys bickering; but they were far enough away that she could not tell what they were arguing about. Cracking the eggs into a bowl, she mixed them with her diced vegetables before pouring them into the pan. Preparing plates, Kagome also decided that some cheese atop the finished omelets would be a nice touch, and set to that as well.

"Kago!" Naruto heinously shortened her name. "This smells delicious! And it isn't even ramen!"

"Idiot," Sasuke muttered, but his stomach quietly agreed with Naruto.

"Well. You'd better eat it all. I won't be slaving over a stovetop for you to decide that you like ramen better." Kagome huffed teasingly, placing their plates on the table before turning to leave the room.

"Aren't you joining us?" Naruto asked, chopsticks paused halfway between his plate and his mouth.

"No, I'm not feeling very hungry." Kagome replied after a moment. "I think I'm just going to go lie down for a bit, okay?"

"If you say so." Naruto gave Kagome a curious glance, but shrugged. "I have to go visit the academy for a little bit after breakfast; I have to talk to Iruka. I should be back in an hour, tops."

Sasuke had watched Kagome leave the room while Naruto was still eating, but decided to keep the observation to himself. Something was strange. She was secluding herself from even Naruto… and it had started at Neji's Music Shop. After their interaction earlier that morning, it seemed strange for her to behaving in such a reclusive manner. Had he said something that upset Kagome?

No, he didn't think so. Kagome had been flirting back, practically.

So if it hadn't been Neji, what was it? A gift was a gift- and it wasn't the flute that was bothering Kagome, Sasuke guessed. She loved the flute, and her playing made that clear. So then what _was _it?

Sasuke growled under his breath. That would likely bother him for the rest of the day. Naruto looked at him through his eyelashes. Sasuke was staring contemplatively at his eggs, which were half eaten and getting cold.

"Sasuke…?"

Naruto's voice snapped Sasuke out of his stupor, and he turned his dark eyes on the blonde.

"What?"

"Never mind… everyone in this house is off their rocker today." Naruto mumbled the last bit. Rising from the table, he gave Sasuke a little salute.

"Take care of my dishes for me? I'll be back later- see ya!" and he disappeared out the nearest window in haste.

Scowling at the disappearing black shirt, Sasuke scooped his half-eaten food and Naruto's empty dishes, and tossed them in the general vicinity of the sink. He'd deal with them later. Or force Naruto to do it. Putting the rest of the fruit salad in the fridge, Sasuke headed upstairs slowly, debating on what to do about Kagome.

As he climbed the stairs, he was caught off guard when he heard a soft sobbing. There was no one else in the house, so it had to be Kagome. Unconsciously, he hastened his pace to Kagome's room, and rapped on the door lightly with his knuckles before opening it without waiting.

Kagome sat at the window seat, surrounded by dusty stuffed animals, with the flute case lying open with the flute inside at her feet. The sunlight streaming through the window illuminated the tear tracks on her face, but Kagome quickly scrubbed them away.

"S-Sasuke?" Kagome sniffled. Her voice was muffled because her nose was stuffed. "What are you doing here?"

Sasuke ignored her question, and quickly paced over to where she was sitting. "Why are you crying? Are you hurt?" he demanded.

Kagome stared at him wide-eyed for a moment, before her eyes crinkled in a smile. "I'm okay. I just…" she trailed off, leaving the sentence hanging. She either didn't know how to finish it, or didn't want to finish it. Sasuke struggled with an uncomfortable feeling for a moment, before quashing it and taking a seat beside her. He hated when girls cried.

"Kagome," he said quietly. Kagome seemed startled by her name coming out of his mouth, and she stared at him, cheeks flushing delicately. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Nothing's _wrong,_" Kagome sniffled. "Specifically."

Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow at her response, and leant against the wall of the window with his arms crossed. Kagome giggled, and wiped her eyes a little more.

"You know I'm not from this… world." Kagome said, turning to look out the window. "This place is so strange. Strange faces, strange places, strange things… When I saw the music store this morning, I thought my heart would break."

"Why?" Sasuke was genuinely confused.

"It's just like the one in my real home. I travel between two places," she explained vaguely. "The place I actually come from… my dad died when I was young. We used to play music together. I played all the time for my friends at my home and school… it was just so hard to see that store, here. I don't know how I'm going to get home to see my family, or to see my friends. I could be stuck here."

Sasuke listened to her admission, and remained silent for a long time. "You're scared."

Kagome turned to face him, and looked him straight in the eyes. Sasuke was caught off guard by the fierceness of her stare.

"My friends have always protected me. My mother has always protected me. I don't know what to do in a world all by myself. And I don't know whether it's harder being in a world full of things that are completely unfamiliar, or in a world where there are painful reminders of something that I might never get back."

_Wow, _Sasuke thought. _This runs a lot deeper than I thought._ A familiar ache spread through his chest.

"My family- my clan," he paused, taking a deep breath. "Was murdered. I was the only one who was left alive. They lived in this house and in this compound- every single one of them. I saw all their faces every day when I left for school; when I came home, when we went for dinner with other Aunts and Uncles… and then one day, they were all gone. I would wake up in the middle of the night, having horrible nightmares of all the blood and death. And then I would remember that there was no mother, no father there to tell me it was okay."

Kagome looked at him sadly.

"I get up every morning, and I walk out my door, and I stare directly at the door to my parent's bedroom. They used to leave it open all the time, you know. When I was little and I couldn't sleep, I would crawl beside my mom and she would tell me stories until I fell asleep again."

"And now you keep all the doors closed." Kagome finished for him quietly. "I'm sorry."

"I can deal with it," Sasuke shrugged. "I live in this house, and yeah, there are some horrible, painful reminders of what I used to have everywhere I look. But I can't waste my time looking backwards. I have to look forwards… there's nowhere else to look anymore. One day, I'm going to revive my clan. We're all going to live here, in this complex, and then, I'll be able to replace those memories."

Sasuke paused, and took a deep, shaky breath. He had never said any of this aloud before, but for some reason, it felt good to finally say it and hear it with his own ears.

"If you can't ever get back to your home, or your friends, you have make your own way. A new way. There's no use looking backwards."

Kagome's eyes welled up again, but Sasuke didn't see it. His hands were trembling, and his palms were sweating. Rubbing his hands on the thighs of his shorts, he was knocked off balance when Kagome pounced on him, wrapping her arms tightly around him, tangling her hands in his hair, sobbing into his shoulder.

She rocked him gently, and for a moment, Sasuke let the pain he had forced down for so long creep to the surface. His eyes stinging, he clenched them tight, and wrapped his arms around Kagome in turn, letting her hold him close while she cried into his shirt.

Later, when Kagome had finally stopped crying, and when Sasuke's hands had stopped shaking, Kagome loosened her grip on the boy.

"I sobbed all over you," Kagome sniffled, embarrassed. There was a large damp spot on Sasuke's shoulder, but he didn't mind. He felt lighter than he had in a long time, and it was because of this strange girl who had fallen from the sky. He felt a tingling in his chest, and he was suddenly embarrassed.

"It's all right," he said, his voice gruff. "I'm going to change my shirt."

"I think I'm going to go take a crack at that garden," Kagome said suddenly. "You've inspired me. Maybe I'll make it look like my Mom's garden; that is, if you don't mind."

"No…" Sasuke paused, and his mind wandered downstairs to the room with his mother's piano. "It's okay. I've got some things I need to do too. Everything you might need will likely be in the garden shed outside."

-::-

Naruto hustled back to Sasuke's house, a strange feeling gripping his gut. Kagome had been acting strange since the visit to Neji's store earlier that morning. He knew Sasuke had noticed it, and the more he thought about it, the more he worried about Kagome.

Climbing in through the same window he had exited a couple of hours prior, he looked around the empty kitchen. The plates had been tossed haphazardly into the sink, and left there unwashed. So Kagome hadn't been back to the kitchen. And Sasuke was still a lazy bastard.

Turning towards the stairs, Naruto wondered where Kagome might be.

As he made his way through the hallways to the stairs, he heard a quiet, haunting melody echo through the house. Curiosity piqued, he turned towards the sound, and passed the stairs until he ended at the doorway Sasuke had refused to allow them through. The door was slightly ajar, and he could see dusty beams of sunlight streaming through the room.

Nudging the door open further, he was forced to squint as he peered into the darkness of the room. Only a small area of the room was illuminated by the sunlight; the curtains had barely been parted. In the center of the grand room, Naruto could make out a strange oblong shape, and the silhouette of a person who could only be-

"Sasuke?"

The playing abruptly stopped, and Naruto realized that the other shape was a piano. Sasuke-teme could play the piano?

"Naruto," Sasuke's voice didn't sound irritated, aloof, or angry. Instead; mildly surprised and melancholy, a tone rather unfamiliar to Naruto's ears.

"What are you doing?" Naruto was so confused. "A piano… you can pl… that's what you had in here? Why you didn't want us here?"

"Just a painful memory," Sasuke replied, continuing with the repetitive melody, adding his left hand to the song.

Naruto listened to Sasuke's sullen song a moment longer before asking the question on the tip of his tongue.

"Where's Kagome?"

"In the garden," Sasuke replied, nodding towards the curtains. Naruto approached them slowly, and pulled them open with a large gesture.

After a moment of adjusting to the sunlight, Naruto could see the garden clearly. Kagome stood, taller than most of the shrubbery, her face tilted up to the sun. He could see her hours of work; the outer bushes tamed into beauty; roses, daffodils and wild purple hyacinth in lovely clusters. Suddenly, Kagome's form, framed by flowers, pitched forwards, and she disappeared.

Sasuke's playing stopped abruptly, and he heard Sasuke fly from the room. Naruto turned, hot on the other boy's heels.

-::-

Kagome sighed, a thin trickle of sweat running down the back of her neck into the collar of her t-shirt. The sun was beating down on her comfortably, but the hours she had spent kneeled over were beginning to take its toll. After several daring attack fronts on the weeds, she had finally began to triumph and make it closer to the dry well at the center of the large, ungainly flower garden.

Now, in front of the well, she leaned down upon the wood structure- the wooden lid old but sturdy and covered in thin ivy. Climbing atop it, she turned her face to the sun and allowed a feeling of accomplishment to wash over her. She was one step closer to finding a way home, and hope filled her chest to bursting point.

Suddenly, a tremor ripped through the wood beneath her feet, and before she could react, she was tumbling down the dank depths of the well shaft. A scream barely ripped its way past her throat as her head cracked painfully against the stone side, and white-hot pain bounced in front of her eyes.

Kagome was unconscious before she hit the bottom of the well.

-::-

Sasuke made it to the well moments before Naruto did, having skid violently through the halls on bare feet to make it to the door to the backyard.

Ripping through tall grass and thorns, he found the shattered remnants of the well lid, and figured what must have happened, and voiced it to Naruto.

"She must have leant on the well and the lid gave in." even to his own ears, his voice sounded a little hysterical.

"Can you see her?" Naruto cried, tilting dangerously over the side trying to see her himself.

"No," Sasuke's voice was hoarse. "I can't. She's not there at all."

**tbc.

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**EDITED: 30/05/10**


	8. Lost and Found

**A/N: **I know I've been inactive for a long time, and this is hardly one of the stories that needs updating, but I just love it so much… Heh. This chapter we figure out what's happened to Kagome- dundunduhhhh…

It occurred to me, as I was writing, that I haven't really done much at all with the other InuYasha characters... this chapter, well... I guess you can read and find out, huh? Once you find out, I'm sure you'll be surprised… so be sure to review to express yourselves! :D

* * *

**Piano Man**

**VIII: Lost and Found**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

It was a little while before Kagome regained consciousness. She could tell just from the stiffness in her limbs she had been lying in her cramped position for much too long. Different daylight hours drifted past her eyelids as she drifted in and out of consciousness; noon, sunset, midnight, dawn. The cycle was repetitive, but it gave her something to focus on; something to keep her brain active so she wouldn't simply pass out.

Kagome couldn't find the strength to move; there was a dull pain in the back of her head and neck. Her skull was cracked and bleeding, unless she was imagining the trickle down her face… During the hottest parts of the day, the sun shone directly down upon her and sweat stung her eyes and salted her tongue. Sometimes, during the night, she would wake up freezing, her sweat finally cooled. On the third day; though it may have been more than just three days, Kagome coughed up blood. The coughing made her body ache even more, specifically her already aching head which was already pounding furiously every time she opened her eyes.

Thinking back to school; to health, and biology, Kagome did a mental assessment of her condition. It was likely she was coming down with pneumonia, she imagined. There was definitely some kind of head trauma; a concussion, perhaps- and at that thought, she valiantly remained awake as long as possible- and a cut that she had no way of knowing how deep it went. Her neck and back ached, and it was likely she had hit her side hard enough to bruise. At least one of her ribs was either sprained or broken; and was a likely suspect behind the blood she coughed up.

The rest of her extremities seemed to have survived the fall all right, even if they were a little stiff and cold. They were a little banged up, but nothing was broken, thank goodness. The fever she had developed certainly wasn't helping anything but encroaching pneumonia, likely because any blood that had pooled in her lungs was chilling at night. Blood loss and everything else combined was enough to send Kagome into tears, which it did; more than once.

Kagome's hopeless condition; injuries, no food, no water; besides the sparse rainfall that had washed over her last night, slowly began to take its toll. Her periods of wakefulness slowly stretched further and further apart. Until…

Until finally, a sound roused her.

A shrill yapping sound; rather canine, she thought; pulled her from uncomfortable slumber. Cracking open a crusted eye, she discovered it was night. She couldn't see the thing making the annoying sound, but she prayed it wasn't something come to eat her. Wincing at a particularly painful throb of her head, she gratefully slid back into unconsciousness, missing the boisterous voice that called down to her.

"Hey, you okay? It's a girl! She's alive, un," the voice called to a companion.

"So?" a lower, throaty voice spat with trepidation. "Get her the fuck up, and let's get the hell outta here."

"Think she's the cause of the villager's unease, un?" the first man grunted, rustling around up above. Still blissfully unconscious, her breathing was light and raspy.

"Obviously," the second man replied, irritated at something unknown.

"It's rolling off her, un."

More rustling sounded the second man's movement, as he approached the first man, who was crouched over her resting place.

"Wow," his irritation seemed to disappear momentarily in some kind of awe. "That's impressive."

"But not a demon," the first continued in a hushed, reverent tone. "But not one of us, either, un."

"Then what the fuck is she?" the second man snapped, irritation ending the hushed moment abruptly.

The man's voice cut sharply through the night, and she stirred, her mind groggy. She felt someone close to her; she could feel their warmth- _she was so cold- _as they gently picked her up, and lay her on a cool surface. Her eyelids were so heavy, and her voice was all but gone- so without a means of even communicating, Kagome's exhaustion let her slide again back into unconscious without her rescuers knowing she had even awoken.

"Dunno, un."

"Whatever," the voice sounded distant and muted. "Get your ass in gear. I don't have all-the-fuck-day long."

The next time she returned to consciousness, it was still dark. However, she was no longer surrounded by four stone walls- the walls that had been her prison- she was surrounded by pillows and sheets. The pain was a steady ache that seemed to resonate through her body, but that was easily pushed to the side, after more than a year of practice travelling with InuYasha.

Groaning, Kagome struggled to sit up, thrashing weakly under the covers. A movement on the other side of the room caught her attention abruptly, and she stilled, heart pounding loudly in her ears.

"Hello," a low, familiar voice greeted her. Upon realizing whose voice it was she relaxed slightly, the pain again making itself known as her adrenaline left her body. "You're awake,"

"Very astute," she rasped, her throat protesting each syllable.

"Tilt your head forward," the voice ordered, sliding a cool hand under her neck in assistance.

"Now drink, _slowly_." Greedily she gulped down as much water as she could before the cup was stolen away.

"How," she said, though it was more of a groan.

"Two of my teammates found you and brought you back. I have been taking care of you since then."

"You…" suddenly Kagome was at a loss for words. "Thank you."

"It was more challenging than expected," he continued. "I had to use the Tsukiyomi to figure out what was wrong with you."

"I was unconscious…?"

"And you have also been a strange exception to all the rules," he allowed. "I couldn't heal you with my chakra; yours kept you safely guarded. I had to enter your mind and sort through some memories to find what I was looking for before I tend to you at all. I am not a medic-nin, after all."

"Oh," she replied, stunned. It was possible the most he had said at once, ever. Suddenly, something occurred to her. "How far back…?" she let the unspoken question hang, afraid to finish it.

"I did not figure out how to control your mind; you have surprisingly strong mental barriers. Your abilities were constantly trying to force me out."

_Tsubaki's doing_, Kagome mused.

"I see," she sighed. It didn't really answer her question, but-

"You're living with my brother," he commented casually.

"_What?_"

"I saw you…" he continued. "with my brother."

"In his house," she replied, mocking his tone of voice.

"Yes," he said simply, questioning.

"The Hokage assigned him to look after me," Kagome immediately offered an explanation. For some reason, she felt obliged to tell him. "I'm living with him."

Itachi remained silent. Kagome continued.

"He was helping me. Apparently, we both needed a little help."

"Apparently." Kagome stiffened at Itachi's tone.

"Tell me, _Itachi_," she hissed his name defensively. "If you're Sasuke's brother, why are you here? Sasuke said his whole clan was killed. Technically you are a part of that, are you not?"

It was Itachi's turn to stiffen. Red eyes flashed sharply in the darkness as he gave her a cold look.

"I killed them."

-::-

"Tsu-!" Naruto slammed Tsunade's office door open with a violent kick. "—baa-ch-!"

"Naruto!" Tsunade snapped. "How many-"

"Kagome's gone," Sasuke half shouted, racing in past Naruto, who had stopped, heaving, just through the doorway. Sasuke rarely raised his voice, so naturally he immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Gone…?" Tsunade was baffled. "What do you mean, _gone_?"

"She was gardening," Sasuke grit his teeth. In what emotion, Naruto wasn't sure, but he continued to watch his friend closely. "I was watching- she fell into an old well; it's been dry for years, and now she's gone!"

"Disappeared!" Naruto chipped in, making a vague exploding gesture with his hands, as if it explained everything.

"What the- damn. _Shizune_!" Tsunade snapped, rubbing at her forehead.

Her assistant, Ton-ton in tow, peeked through the doorway.

"Get me Kakashi and the Inuzuka's, _now._"

**tbc.**

**

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**

**EDITED: 30/05/10**


	9. MIA

**A/N: **Okayyyyy! So here goes another chapter... at this moment in time, this story is the easiest for me to update, because I keep getting all these great ideas and inspiration. As I've mentioned before, this story is the closest of mine to being completed (mostly) so on top of my never-ending musical inspiration, I just keep writing, updating other stories in-between. I'd be lying if I said I knew what was going to be updated next.

Also recently, I've been playing around with my story _Carpe Diem, _which is a mix of Kagome crossover stories. Check it out if you're interested! (Shameless promoting of my own stories, right here)

Anyways, a little more of InuYasha in this chapter... and some more plot-setting-up, if you will. The big instrument parts will come after Kagome is returned... to, well... you'll see. :D I do feel obligated to mention that I'll be on vacation for a week, and therefore unable to write at all... but I suppose only those of you that actually read my author's notes will learn this information. Now, without further ado, on with the chapter!

* * *

**Piano Man**

**IX: MIA**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

Kagome rolled over and looked at the wall. Itachi had brusquely left the room after sharing his secret… and she suspected it was due to her reaction. She had instinctively curled away from him, eyes doe-esque and scared, her form taught with tension. Itachi was a murderer… Itachi was a murderer… he had killed Sasuke's family. Her mind drifted back to the boy who was no doubt wondering where she was, and the trembles that had wracked his form while she rocked him and cried her own fears into his shoulder. _That sorrow was all Itachi's fault._

And she had not seen him since.

Guilt at pushing Itachi away now overwhelmed her, and having had enough time to herself, Kagome had come to the startling conclusion that maybe Itachi was hurting just as bad as Sasuke was. Now Kagome was left in pain, in a dark room, alone, and she had succeeded in hurting possibly the only person who could help her out of here and back to her friends- or at least, to her newest ones.

-::-

Eyelids fluttered open with a soft exhale of breath, and a familiar, well-worn roof came into view. Almost the instant after opening his eyes, pain flooded his body and his memory slowly trickled back, playing across the ceiling as if projected.

A demon. A spell. A trap. The enemy…

"_Kagome!"_

His voice was rusty from disuse, but that didn't stop InuYasha from croaking the young priestesses name, calling out in vain, searching for a presence he knew he wasn't going to find. If Kagome really had been here, safe and sound, then she would have been at his side before he even opened his eyes, let alone called her name.

"InuYasha!" an answering voice called, and InuYasha twisted his neck in vain to try to see the door. Shippo came barreling into the hut, Kirara hot on his tail.

"You're awake! This is good- it's been so long… oh! I'd better tell someone-" the little fox spoke so quickly he didn't even finish half of his sentences, before he was tripping over his paws, rushing back out the door to find… well, someone.

Kirara sat beside his head, and mewed plainly. InuYasha blinked at her crème form, but she didn't look at him once. Her red eyes were carefully directed elsewhere, and almost instantly a trickle of guilt pooled in his gut. Did Kirara know what had happened to Kagome? Did she know that it was his fault- he had been so sure that Kikyo would never do something like that- not to see that it hadn't even been Kikyo at all? His mistake had cost them Kagome… which left him with very limited options on what to do next.

He had to find a way to get to Kagome.

-::-

Naruto tapped his foot impatiently as Tsunade discussed something in hushed tones with several ANBU across the room. Sasuke stood beside him, casually leaning against the wall, but after working with Sasuke so long, Naruto could tell that he was anything but casual.

Sasuke's tension was carefully concealed; his arms were folded, so his hands were hidden from view where they clenched his shirt. His head was tilted downwards so it rested on his chest, but his hair hid his scowl and the dark glare Naruto was sure he was giving the wooden floor. And Naruto knew he was glaring; he could practically see the floor smoking.

"Tsunade-sama!" a head popped in the doorway. Shizune. "Kiba and Hana Inuzuka are here, as well as Kakashi Hatake."

"Send them in," Tsunade said, dismissing the ANBU and sitting down at her desk with a tired sigh. Tension was prominent in Tsunade too, though she did nothing to conceal it. Sasuke and Naruto moved from their positions against the wall, and Naruto watched out of the corner of his eye as Sasuke straightened the telltale bunching out of his shirt.

Kakashi, Kiba, and the rather imposing sight of his older sister met them next. Naruto stared, glancing from his friend to his older sister, rather amazed at the family resemblance. Glancing to Sasuke, he realized that the Uchiha shared many similar physical traits with his older brother as well. His mind drifting to Kagome, Naruto realized that the only thing they shared was the brilliant blue of their eyes.

"Naruto," Tsunade's voice snapped him out of his daydreaming. "Care to fill us in on the situation at hand?"

"Well, I-"

"I was there," Sasuke snapped. "Naruto had just arrived back from some errands, but I had been with Kagome prior."

"Who's Kagome?" Hana questioned.

"This girl-"

"My sister-"

"Naruto has a sister?" Kiba was surprised. Even Kakashi and Tsunade looked at him strangely after his comment, and the commotion settled down instantly as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Maybe Sasuke should tell the story,"

"We ran into Kagome while our team was out of the city," Sasuke said. "She appeared out of nowhere, and seemed to be completely foreign. We found her in the company of the Akatsuki… but they were attacking her. We brought her back to Konoha, and Tsunade ordered I house her and look after with an investigation into her origins pending."

"And I adopted her," Naruto chipped in.

"More like she adopted you," Sasuke snapped back, silencing the beaming blonde. "We were at my house in the Uchiha compound while Naruto was out taking care of some errands. Kagome was out in the backyard doing some gardening, while I was inside. After breakfast, we were talking, but decided to spit up to get more accomplished." Sasuke purposely remained very vague, feeling obligated to tell the truth even though he cut some corners and left most of the details out.

"I made sure I had a clear view of her from where I was,"

"Clear my ass- there was like a snowstorm of dust-" Naruto mumbled. Sasuke stepped none too softly on his sandaled foot and continued.

"And she had progressed to the center of the garden where we have a dry well. It's old and hasn't been used in almost decades, and had only served as a decoration. She must have leant on it, or stood on it and fell-"

"We saw her just disappear! There she was, smiling and all, and then _wham!_ She was gone. We rand to look, and we found the lid of the well cracked down the middle, with a big hole where she must have fallen through."

The room was silent for a good thirty seconds before questions erupted from the Inuzuka family.

"How can you be sure she isn't some kind of traitor?" Kiba asked.

"Does she have any kind of ninja abilities? How do you know she didn't just run away when you weren't paying attention? A transportation jutsu, or-"

"Is she our age? Did she have any ninja tools on her when you found her, or a headband- and why was she fighting with the Akatsuki? Did she get them, or did you guys?"

"-ial talent, or something, like a bloodline limit that lets her just disappear or maybe move at insane speeds-"

"Is she single? And how did an idiot like you manage to get so close with her so fast? I mean, what would she ever see in you?

"-ven a spy, possibly sent back here for Sasuke or his Sharingan and if she was seen with the Akatsuki; which ones did you say they were? She could be working for anyone and-"

"_Enough_." Kakashi's voice cut through the room like a knife through hot butter, effectively silencing the Inuzuka siblings. Turning to Naruto and Sasuke, he looked at them very seriously.

"Did Kagome ever mention anything about where she came from, or where she wanted to go? Obviously she didn't plan to stay in Konoha, because she was equipped for travelling."

"Kagome mentioned her friends…" Naruto started off unsurely, looking to Sasuke.

"She said that she had a group of close friends, like family," Sasuke said. "But that was separated from them unwillingly, and didn't know how she was ever going to get back to them."

"She never said anything about other ninja villages, or town, or anything of the like."

"No." Naruto shook his head in the negative. Sasuke did as well.

"She said that this "world" was completely unfamiliar, and she was scared about never being able to get back to her home."

Kakashi turned to Tsunade, who seemed to be jotting things down. They shared a curious, concerned look. Kakashi turned back to the boys, and continued his questioning.

"Did Kagome ever show or appear to have any kind of strange talents or abilities that wouldn't have otherwise existed as a common civilian?"

"We were grocery shopping," Naruto remembered. "She was wearing these skin-tight pants she called jeans, and I was asking about them. She mentioned being constantly ready for battle."

"She is fast… much faster than a civilian; perhaps moreso than some Genin graduates. She flipped over from a stationary position before either of us could react," Sasuke commented.

"And she seemed to have a strange power about her when we first met her," Kakashi added.

"She called it a barrier," Naruto said. Kakashi nodded.

"She had created a powerful block that stopped us from getting to her when we first came upon her that shocked anyone who touched it. Then again, she created a smaller one later when she was…" Kakashi stopped to pick his words wisely, after purposely leaving out that Itachi was the Akatsuki they had came into contact with. Naruto glanced at him as he continued. "…speaking with Naruto. We couldn't see or hear what was going on inside."

"She didn't hurt me at all," Naruto said strongly. "She was nice. Asked a couple of questions."

"So she had a strange barrier-making ability, and is as physically strong as a trained ninja," Tsunade surmised.

"Yes," the present members of Team 7 agreed.

"Who is to say, if she can make barriers that stop you from hearing or seeing who is inside, that she didn't just use another one to make her invisible to the outside world?"

Sasuke and Naruto shared a glance, and their thoughts shared a common thread. _Did Kagome want to get away that badly? That she would trick them and then escape…_

"I don't think Kagome did that," Naruto said. "She's not that kind of person. She's really nice and polite, and likes making other people happy. She wouldn't just disappear on us, after taking advantage of everyone's hospitality. And she still has my jacket." He added with a frown. "She'd definitely give it back before she left."

Suddenly the other ninja in the room seemed to notice that Naruto indeed wasn't wearing his trademark orange jacket, but a pair of long black pants and a black, orange and blue shirt. After getting over the oddity of Naruto not wearing that blinding jumpsuit, they turned back to the problem at hand: Kagome's whereabouts.

"Is it possible that Kagome was taken?" Tsunade asked, closing her eyes and rubbing at her temples.

"Impossible." Sasuke replied. "No one has been out in the backyard but me, and the dry well is nothing but a hole in the ground. If there had been someone there, I would have felt it."

"I see. Well, that leave us with very limited options." The Hokage began. "Assuming that Kagome did indeed appear magically the first time, then it makes sense that she has magically _disappeared_ as well. Whether or not she is even still among us in any of the 5 countries is up to debate."

Naruto was taken aback at Tsunade's blunt statement, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Kagome said she had fallen from the sky. Maybe the same magic that had sent her here had pulled her back. A stinging sensation welled up in the back of his eyes- she had said she probably wouldn't be around forever, but he had never expected her to leave so soon. If she was gone for good…

"I've called you three," Tsunade gestured to Kakashi, Hana and Kiba, "because of your superior tracking abilities. In ten minutes, I would like to see you all in Sasuke's backyard, with all the supplies you may need to track Kagome down, and outside of Konoha for an indefinite period of time."

"But what about everything else?" Kiba said.

"It will be put on hiatus until further notice." Tsunade replied. "Because Kagome is a wildcard, finding out what has become of her is a priority. If another country captures her, if Akatsuki has captured her, or if any other organization has captured Kagome, what becomes of her after they discover her secrets will be entirely out of our control."

"Kagome will either turn out to be a valuable asset, or a dangerous enemy. At this time, we still have the power to sway that outcome in our favour. So, ten minutes. Also, Naruto, since Sasuke must be home to receive the rest of us, please stop by the Hyuuga compound and bring Neji with you to Sasuke's. I believe his eyes will be useful in searching for clues."

With a wave, Tsunade dismissed them, and they all promptly disappeared from the room, Kiba and his sister out the door, and Kakashi in a poof of smoke. Naruto headed for the window, as it was only a handful of rooftops from his apartment. A hand on his shoulder, however, made him hesitate.

Sasuke looked at him carefully, his dark eyes a mixture of confident and serious. "We're going to find her, and bring her back."

"I hope so," Naruto replied, before pushing his friend's hand away, and leaping out the window.

-::-

Kagome stirred from her light slumber at the sound of a never life form at the door. Tense and hopeful, Kagome hoped it was Itachi. But then… who else would it be? So far no one else had come to 'visit'.

"…Itachi?" Kagome croaked. A figure entered the room, but Kagome could see nothing more than a dark silhouette from the equally dimly-lit hallway.

"Hey princess," a gruff voice greeted her. Kagome could hear the scraping of a chair as it was pulled to the bedside.

"Blue-Gills." Kagome breathed.

"Right again, princess." Kisame chuckled. "I cane to see how my partner's little _patient_ was doing."

"I'm fine," Kagome wheezed. Her throat was dryer than she thought. And sore.

"Here," he handed her a glass as she struggled to sit up. Kagome took it graciously, and slurped it down slowly, her eyes never leaving the dark ones she could barely make out at her bedside.

"Thank you," she replied softly, her voice soft.

"Anyways," Kisame seemed a little put off by the change in her demeanor. "I came here to ask you something, actually."

"Oh?" Kagome was puzzled. She hadn't had much exposure to Kisame previously, and that exposure wasn't exactly the most pleasant.

"Itachi-"

Kagome wanted to smack her face. Of course it was about Itachi. As Kisame continued, Kagome continue to listen.

"- has been acting strangely lately. Since you've been brought in, actually. And since Itachi isn't really emotional to begin with, it's kinda hard to tell when he's acting different-"

"Itachi's acting differently?" Kagome interrupted. Her mind drifted back to when she had first met Itachi, and the more reserved side of him had shown in his strange Tsukiyomi world.

"Yeah." Kisame paused, glancing at the door. "Just… I'm not sure what the change means. If he says anything-"

"Okay," Kagome agreed. "I'll find you. I'll tell you. Or something."

Kisame glanced at the door again, and rose, placing the chair back where he had found it. Looking back at Kagome once, he was out the door with a flap of his cloak. Kagome sunk back into the pillows, placing the empty glass that she had held in her hand on the little table beside her. So something was wrong with Itachi… but it hadn't just been recent. Kagome felt a little better about her initial reaction to Itachi's secret, but knew still that she had to do some 'damage control'.

As if she had summoned him, Itachi opened the door and slipped inside silently. Kagome looked at him carefully. He stood tall with his shoulders tense, his back straight and posture alert. As soon as he closed the door, something seemed to slip from his body, like a puppet who's strings had been cut. Kagome couldn't see clearly in the dark, but she watched the tension melt from his form with a sideways glance, before closing her eyes and pretending sleep.

She listened as Itachi pulled the chair Kisame had recently vacated to her bedside, and sat down. Then, Kagome heard the familiar strike of a match as he lit a candle. With a deep sigh through his nose, Kagome felt the depression in the bed as he leant forward and rested his head on his hands in a weary gesture.

"Tired?" she spoke softly, opening her eyes and shifting to the side. Itachi glanced at her, clearly surprised she was awake, but he relaxed again soon after.

"You should sleep more, you know." In the flickering light of the candle, Kagome could clearly see the sleep lines etched on his face. Itachi didn't reply, merely glanced at her before closing his eyes and reclining back into his chair.

"Listen, Itachi…" Kagome struggled to sit up. "I'm sorry about my reaction to you earlier, it was wrong of me."

"It was wrong of you to fear a murderer?" Itachi gave her a stony look. "Maybe you injured your head more than we suspected."

"My head is fine," Kagome replied sharply, glaring right back. "My closest friends and I are forced to kill on a regular basis. Sometimes, it's kill or be killed. I don't condone you, or fear you."

Itachi listened, curiously, perhaps. "I really believe that there's something more to you than this cold hearted killer you seem to be," Kagome continued. "I think that somewhere, you're hurting, just like your brother."

"I did what was necessary," Itachi spoke softly, rubbing his face. "I do not regret it."

"Are you sure?"

Itachi didn't say anything for a long time afterwards and merely stared at Kagome. Kagome stared back, resolute. If it was anything she knew, it was about hurting on the inside. The jealousy that she carried- and yes, it was there, admittedly- for the relationship that still existed between InuYasha and Kikyo was tough. It was harder when she was constantly being compared to the older priestess, and even harder still when InuYasha looked at her and was just seeing someone else.

As a matter of fact, because InuYasha couldn't believe that it was Kikyo controlling the demon, she had been knocked into this world in the first place. Her mind relived the last few moments before she had tumbled backwards into the well, and realized that the tingling that had bothered her (besides the demonic aura, of course,) was the power of a jewel shard calling her.

The realization hit her. _A jewel shard had been used on the well to send me somewhere else._ _Perhaps,_ she mused_, the jewel is the answer to getting home, as well._ A hand instinctively rose to her neck, where the jewel shards typically hung, but she pulled away empty. She had left the feudal era with two jewel shards, and had hidden them in a little pouch in her backpack. Which was… _Sasuke's._

"Itachi," she spoke suddenly. "I need to get back to Sasuke's house."

"You are still in no condition to be travelling." Itachi replied bluntly.

"How far away is it?" the hope that had previously filled her body was slowly draining away, leaving desperation in its place.

"Far enough." He surmised.

"I need to get back." Kagome said stubbornly, moving to stand.

"You need to get better," Itachi pushed her down. "And you can start with letting me check your ribs."

"I won't stay in here forever," Kagome warned, looking around the dark room with disinterest.

"When your ribs are better, we'll see about getting you outside. But even then, you'll be in no condition to battle."

"Wa-"

"And that is non-negotiable." Itachi finished, cutting off her rebuttal.

"All right, doc." Kagome replied, tugging the baggy shirt she had been given up to bare her bandaged torso to Itachi.

"Just be aware that I've warned you," she sent him a sly smile. And in the flickering light of the candle, Kagome caught the upturn of Itachi's lips as well.

**tbc.

* * *

**

**EDITED: 30/05/10**


	10. The Great Escape

**A/N: **I wanted to get this out asap... I'm really pleased with this chapter. It's nice and long... I just kept writing and writing and writing... so I'm posting it the second after I've finished writing it! I hope you all like it... I didn't really go over it AT ALL, so I apologize if there are typos and such...

Also, please let it be known that there's a time skip that isn't mentioned between this chapter and the last one! It's been around a month, give or take. That said, on with the chapter!

* * *

**Piano Man**

**X: The Great Escape**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

Glancing around, Kagome took extra care not to make a single sound. Itachi was a very good guard, and even when he wasn't to be found, he was watching. The thought was slightly alarming, and vaguely reminiscent of Naraku, but Kagome continued on. Her playful, mock-attempts to escape had been covers to learn more of the layout. Itachi had been very diligent during her healing process in keeping tabs on her, and only took her outside blindfolded, so she wouldn't know where they were once they got there.

Unbeknownst to Itachi, Kagome had devised a plan to mark their location for future reference; by focusing minute amounts of her aura, Kagome was able to place it into living objects like flowers and wildlife. It appeared as Kagome playing with the flowers and simply encouraging them to grow, but even after they left a faint residue of her powers remained for her to sense. The only flaw in this plan was that there was an indefinite period of time that her aura lingered, and so it left her making her escape.

Kagome carefully conjured a barrier to hide her scent and sight, keeping it close enough to her form that if anyone passed her in the halls, it would not even brush them. She had not met any of Itachi's 'teammates' other than Kisame, nor had she been introduced to the pair that had rescued her from the well, but now was not the time for thanks. As she continued down the dimly lit hallway, she prayed that she wouldn't run into Itachi. His eyes, when they were red, possessed several useful abilities; one of which enabled him to see through her barriers simply by engaging the simplest of forms.

Footsteps that were not her own caught Kagome's attention, and she pressed herself as close as she could to the wall behind her, listening and watching as her heart pounded furiously in her head.

"-s been more than a little abnormal, un," a rather chipper voice commented. "But I don't understand what it's about either,"

"You are an idiot." A second voice replied. "Clearly it is the girl you rescued, or have you forgotten? He's kept her locked up in his room for two weeks."

"Sasori-danna, don't you think that's a little weird, un?" the first voice replied. "That he would change so obviously over a girl."

"Itachi has always behaved the way he chooses. In this case, however, I don't think he realizes that he's different at all." The second man, Sasori, replied.

Kagome could see their silhouettes now as they approached around the corner, and held her breath. The two men that passed her were both rather handsome; one with long blond hair and the other with a vibrant red.

The one with red hair hesitated a step as they passed; two abreast made them pass dangerously close to Kagome, who felt the breeze from the swish of their cloaks. The corner of the dark fabric brushed along her barrier, and she tensed even further as the man paused minutely before carrying on. Letting out a silent, shaky sigh of relief, Kagome continued on her way, tiptoeing down the hall until she could no longer hear their footsteps.

She had been living in the baggy garments that Itachi had provided for her until now, because anything else only served to irritate her scabs and ribs. Now, the loose clothing seemed more of a curse as she moved, and it brushed together rather loudly. Her jeans, shirt and Naruto's jacket were all lingering around somewhere in this god forsaken complex, and Kagome was determined to find them.

Temporarily putting aside her goal to flee, Kagome turned left, instead of the right that she knew would lead her to one of the many hidden exits in the 'lair' she was currently being held in. Sneaking down the hallway, she passed several doors, all closed. Despair slowly settled in her stomach- the place was a maze! How was she supposed to find her stuff? What if Itachi had thrown out her stuff?

"Damnit!" Kagome pressed her back in to the stone wall with a little curse, knocking the back of her head several times in frustration.

"—haunted by ghosts,"

Kagome tensed, looking up and down the hall at the faint murmuring. No one was approaching but-

"—thumping and groaning and shit, I hate ghosts-" the door to the left of her creaked and opened, and gave birth to Kisame, who pulled his cloak tighter to him and glanced up and down the hall.

"Kisame!" Kagome whispered with a grin.

"What?" Kisame looked rather alarmed, his dark eyes glittering with suspicion. "They know my name-"

"Of course I know your name," Kagome spoke softly, with a slightly lower voice. Maybe she could use this to her advantage…

"What the hell is going on?" Kisame mumbled to himself, and turned to leave. "I'm hearing things that know my name."

"Kisame," Kagome called again. Kisame paused in his step a moment, but shook his head and continued walking. "Kisame, I need your help,"

Kisame looked like he wanted to say something, but instead picked up his pace, glancing once over his shoulder. Kagome grinned, and moved to catch up with him, stomping her feet a little more than necessary. Her footsteps echoed in the stone hall, and Kisame stopped so abruptly that Kagome ran right into his back.

"What the-" Kisame spun around, swinging his arm out and Kagome instinctively put her own out and blocked his swing.

"Kisame," she laughed a little. "That was completely unnecessary."

"Who are you, where are you, and how do you know my name?" Kisame was clearly agitated. "You'd better show yourself before I run you through."

Kagome glanced at the big sword that was strapped to his back and did some quick mental calculations. The sword was long enough that if Kisame drew it, it would likely nick her barrier one way or another. The resistance would allow him to pinpoint her location… and from there, everything would go downhill. She didn't even have long until Itachi would realize she was missing, and she still needed to find her stuff.

Glancing at the blue ninja in front of her, she realized that she would need to put some trust in him; at least until she was out of here. From there, she would be able to knock him unconscious with a zap of her powers and disappear before he was any wiser.

"Kisame…" she allowed her voice to return to its normal pitch. "It's me,"

"The princess?" Kisame was surprised, and allowed his hand to drop from his sword. "Where are you? Has Itachi finally killed you?"

"No," Kagome sighed exasperatedly. "But I need your help, and Itachi might just decide to kill me if he catches me now."

Itachi was more of a mother hen than her mother. And that was an awfully frightening thought.

"He does have a strange obsession with you," Kisame allowed. "But this would be better if I could see you."

"If you get caught helping me, wouldn't it be better for you to tell the truth when you say 'I haven't see her'?"

Kisame scowled.

"Listen. I'm leaving- I can't stay here anymore. I need my clothes, but I've no idea where they are."

"If they weren't in Itachi's room then they're probably in the laundry room," Kisame deduced carefully. "Your shirt was a little torn up and the jacket was a little bloody and the pants had some mud on them- if they weren't all tossed, they would have been put in the laundry room for mending."

"Can you take me there?" Kagome asked, stepping forward.

"What's in it for me," Kisame huffed, crossing his arms and unnervingly pinning her with a stare.

"Can't we work that out later?" Kagome pleaded. She felt a little guilty for using the ninja, but was it really her fault that he was so easy to manipulate?

"I'll think of something." Kisame grinned. He tensed when Kagome reached out and grasped his cloak.

"Hurry."

-::-

"No news," a little dog reported, saluting once to Tsunade before disappearing.

"Was that one of Kakashi's summons?" Shizune questioned, striding into the room with a tray of tea.

"Yes," Tsunade rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "No news."

"You know-" Shizune began, but the blond woman cut her off.

"Everything about this girl is trouble. Mysterious abilities… She appeared willing to cooperate, and then she just up and disappears. Neji's Byakugan, possibly the best developed in the whole village, couldn't see anything. Kakashi and Hana and Kiba have found no scent or even trace of the girl… and Naruto…" Tsunade's tirade lost speed abruptly. "I've no idea where he is."

"He seemed to take Kagome's disappearance the hardest." Shizune commented, pouring tea for her leader.

"Which is strange enough. He just… latched on to her presence." Tsunade rubbed her temples.

"Tea?"

Tsunade took the offered cup with a weary smile.

"I can't spend much more time on this," Tsunade said. "By saying it aloud it seems so final. The council is asking questions, but I haven't told them a thing about Kagome. If Danzo learns of her, he'll likely try to make her into some kind of weapon."

"Well…" Shizune paused. It was a predicament indeed. "What does Sasuke have to say about this?"

"Sasuke has been holed up in his house." Tsunade replied. "As per my orders, waiting to see if Kagome appears. But we also can't afford to have him just sitting around doing nothing, because sooner or later questions are going to start being asked. He's been more anti-social than ever, according to gossip. He hasn't been seen in the market at all. Sakura said she'd try to talk to him."

"I think you should try to wait as long as you can, but…" Shizune looked at her friend. "Maybe… maybe she's not coming back?"

Tsunade glanced once at her assistant before looking out the window.

"Maybe this isn't worth all the trouble and stress,"

"Maybe…" Tsunade sighed, and sipped at her tea.

-::-

"Sasuke," a voice called through the morning. A pounding accompanied it, effectively keeping Sasuke from returning to sleep.

"Sasuke, I know you're there. Open this door."

Looking at the little clock, Sasuke realized that he had slept even longer than he had yesterday. Groaning, he pulled a hand through his hair and made a face. Rising, he groped for a clean pair of shorts and pulled them on over his boxers before heading for the door. How Sakura knew where he lived would have bothered him had he been more awake, but lately he was just so _tired_.

"Sasuk-!"

Her yell was cut short as a sleepy Sasuke abruptly opened his door, clad in nothing more than white shorts. Sakura felt the blood rush immediately to her face but instead clenched her stomach and pushed past her teammate, inviting herself into his house.

"What do you want?" Sasukes voice was rough with sleep. Sakura tried not to swoon.

"Oh I'm sorry," she feigned an apology. "Did I interrupt your nap? It's past noon."

"Sakura…" Sasuke's tone warned her that he was in no mood.

"Listen, Sasuke," Sakura seemed exasperated herself. She placed her bag of groceries down on the table. "You're doing no good staying locked up in here all day. You're pale as all get-out and you haven't even been into town for groceries in almost a month? Starving yourself is going to do you nothing and-"

Sasuke turned and began walking away. Sakura frowned and stopped talking. At least he hadn't kicked her out yet… as she moved to follow Sasuke further into his house, she realized that she was _in. Sasuke's. House!_ She squealed a little inside. Wouldn't Ino be jealous when she told her!

"You're still here?" Sasuke commented snidely. Sakura returned her attention to her teammate, who was leaning against the kitchen counter and looking delicious in a beam of sunlight. To his right, a little stove sat where a kettle was boiling water.

"Sasuke," Sakura tried again. "You need to take care of yourself. I know you're waiting for Kagome to come back, but-"

"I am taking care of myself," he cut off, crossing his arms and turning to look out the window that opened onto the garden. Sakura followed his eyes and took in the tamed garden with wonder. It appeared that Sasuke had kept himself busy.

"You need to eat," she said softly, and began pulling groceries out of her bag, putting them in the barren fridge and cupboards. Sasuke allowed her to move about the kitchen unhindered, unloading the food she had brought for him. After a few minutes of silence, his low voice broke the tension in the room.

"Would you like some tea?"

Sakura turned to her teammate and long-time crush, and stared for a long moment at his dark, unusually expressive eyes.

"Yes, please."

-::-

"Kisame," Kagome hissed.

"What?" the blue shark-like ninja hissed back.

"You _live_ here. Shouldn't you know where the goddamn laundry room is?"

"I-" Kisame faltered. "I don't do my own laundry! Leader has people that take care of it. I've never actually been to the room before, so-"

"You are _sooo_ pathetic," Kagome groaned, smacking a palm to her forehead. The sound echoed lightly through the dark hall, and Kagome remembered she was supposed to be acting stealthily.

"You'd make a horrible ninja," Kisame commented. "You're never satisfied, always complaining and horrible at staying quiet-"

"Who'd make a horrible ninja, un?"

Kisame and Kagome both stilled at the voice. The blond haired ninja from earlier exited the nearest door to their right. Kagome tensed, and her hands fisted in the back of Kisame's cloak in warning. She was positioned between the wall and his back- so hopefully there'd be no way she would be physically caught, but even so…

"What?" Kisame replied, blinking at the clay-master.

"You were talking to someone, weren't you? Said they'd be a horrible ninja, un."

"Deidara," Kisame chuckled. "You're the one that saved that girl that Itachi's got locked away right?" his said, changing the topic none-too-subtly.

"Yeah, un. Me and Hidan brought her back." Deidara grinned. "She's a pretty little thing, un. I'd like to say hello, but Itachi has kept her under lock and key until now, un."

"What?" to Kisame's credit, even after being caught off guard he was a pretty decent actor.

"Haven't you heard, un? She's gone from his room. He's searching the whole place, un." Deidara sniggered. "Seems like his little Sharingan is failing him; he can't find her with it so he's looking manually, un. He's even got clones up outside."

"Fuc-" Kagome moaned. Deidara raised an eyebrow at the sound.

"-funny!" Kisame covered. "Itachi's lost track of one little girl," he laughed nervously.

"It is, un." Deidara chuckled a little. "I hope he doesn't find her. Too bad no one will actually tease him that he lost her, un. Anyways, see you later. I was just grabbing my laundry, un."

Kagome tentatively peeked over Kisame's shoulder and saw that the blonde was indeed carrying an armful of dark clothing.

"Isn't that Sasori's…?" Kisame pointed to the garment on the top of the pile. Deidara flushed beet red and hurried away.

"Later, un!" he tossed over his shoulder as he disappeared in the darkness. Kisame chuckled as he turned to where Kagome was standing. Kisame had quickly adapted to not being able to see her, and was getting quite good at pinpointing her location.

"Found the laundry room," he grinned, his sharp white teeth brilliant even in the dimly lit corridor. They entered quickly, because time was short.

"How am I even going to get away with Itachi out there?"

"Well, Itachi's not _really_ out there…" Kisame pointed out, dodging a cloak that appeared to levitate before being tossed into his face as an invisible Kagome rifled through large hampers of clothing.

"Is that it?" Kisame suddenly spoke, and pointed to a rack that hung from the ceiling. There, an orange jacket, white shirt and her pants hung.

"Oh good," Kagome sighed. Her jeans and Naruto's jacket seemed no worse for wear, but her shirt had several tears in the fabric. "Well, at least it was just cotton," she mourned.

Turning to the blue ninja, she frowned. "I'm going to get changed. Turn around, and don't look. I have to let down my barrier."

"Hmph." Kisame snorted, but turned and did as she asked, nevertheless.

Kagome quickly pulled on her pants and shirt, kicking the baggy rags into a dark corner. Glancing around, she realized her shoes were nowhere to be found, and realized she'd just have to wear the reed sandals Itachi had procured for her earlier during her 'stay'. Doing a quick one over on herself, and frowned at her shirt. It was all stretched out and torn, but it would have to do.

"Here," Kisame said. Kagome jumped and turned to look at him, as he had turned around and was now facing here. He was holding a black blade- Kagome recognized it from her first encounter with Itachi and Kisame. Kagome tensed, glancing from the blade to Kisame's face and back again. Kisame seemed to sense Kagome's nervousness, and nimble flipped the blade around so he was holding the handle towards her.

"Cut the ripped parts off so they're out of the way," he suggested. Kagome thought about it a moment and figured it made sense, and quickly did as he suggested. The shirt now fell short, just brushing the top of her ribs. Her torso was still bandaged to keep her ribs as still as possible, so really, none of her skin was revealed anyhow. Sliding into Naruto's jacket, Kagome inhaled the musky odor of the blonde haired ninja.

_Naruto…_ she thought miserably. _I miss you_. Her mind drifted back to her other friends then, and the sorrow doubled._ InuYasha… Sango… everyone…_

"Now's no time for a pity party," Kisame bit out, after taking in the shadowed expression on her face. "This could be the next room that Itachi searches. Put this on, and cover up that blinding, disgusting colour." Kisame flung the cloak he had been hit with moments earlier at Kagome.

Kagome did as she was told, and quickly cast another barrier the same as the one she had put up earlier.

"Damn it, where'd you go?" Kisame groused. Kagome grinned and kicked him lightly in the back of the shin. "Unnecessary," the ninja replied, and turned to fast for her to dodge, and encircled her in his arms.

"Hold on tight," he grinned.

Before Kagome had a chance to struggle out of his grasp, Kisame's power flowed around her form, almost as malicious as Itachi's, and poofed them out of existence.

When Kagome opened her eyes, she realized instantly by sound alone that they were in a forest. Kisame had released her already, and sheepishly Kagome realized she was still clinging to the ninja. Stepping back, she dropped her barrier so the man could see her. Strangely enough, Kisame had done nothing but help her… so far. She didn't want to hurt him if she didn't have to- a fondness for the fish-like ninja was beginning to grow.

"You're not far from the base right now," Kisame intoned, pointing towards it. "Itachi will finish searching the hideout and immediately begin canvassing the area. You'd better run awfully fast."

"Why are you helping me?" Kagome was curious. The blue-eyed ninja looked down at her with an unreadable expression, but quickly it split into a toothy grin.

"All princesses need to be rescued sometimes."

"…" Kagome was shocked for a moment, but grinned at Kisame. "Well aren't you quite the vigilante."

"Hardly, princess," Kisame scoffed. "Here, take these just in case." He handed her two blades like the one she had used moments ago on the remains of her shirt.

"They won't help you against Itachi, but they'll be useful against anyone else." The man said. His voice held a kind of finality that Kagome easily recognized as goodbye.

"And what's your alibi going to be?" Kagome questioned, taking the blades in either hand.

"I felt like rabbit," Kisame said suddenly, throwing a smaller, round blade through the air, and a small thud reached Kagome's ears, signifying that the blade had met the target.

"Ew," Kagome wrinkled her nose. "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer fish?"

Kisame gave Kagome a dark look, and Kagome giggled as she put her barrier back up. "Thank you for helping me," she whispered.

"See you later, princess." Kisame grinned as Kagome took off, leaping through the foliage and heading away from the hideout. "Good luck."

-::-

Tsunade was sitting in her favourite bar with a jug of saki and a pounding headache. The saki wasn't helping like she thought it was, and she was just about to call the bartender over with her bill when a familiar presence made itself known to her left.

"What's a good-looking lady like you doing out here by herself?" a voice questioned jokingly.

"Jiraiya," Tsunade greeted in monotone. "What a surprise."

"Wow," the man laughed. "You sound so surprised! Your acting skills get better every day. I know I'm too good to resist, but-"

"Jiraiya," Tsunade sighed. "I'm so tired I don't even feel like getting drunk. Is there something you wanted to say?"

Jiraiya glanced at his long-time love and teammate. "Well I decided to pay you a visit because I've just learned of some interesting news…" he began, taking Tsunade's half full saki jug and taking a swig. "It seems something has thrown Itachi into a tizzy."

Tsunade let her face slide down a little from where it was rested in her palm. "What's Itachi got to do with anything? He hasn't been seen around Konoha, has he?"

"Well no, not yet," Jiraiya began. "It seems he's lost something. Word is he's been acting strangely as of late. The rumor is that Itachi had taken himself a prisoner."

Recognition began to spread through Tsunade's mind like wildfire, as she put more and more pieces together. "Itachi?"

"Some girl he found," Jiraiya continued heedlessly. "But now she's missing, and Itachi's looking for her. Now normally when Itachi's looking for someone he finds them awfully quick, but for some reason this girl has evaded his notice. Itachi's already tortured several small villages he passed by on his search. He's getting frustrated and careless because his Sharingan has failed."

Tsunade let this information soak in for a moment, running it over in her head._ It makes sense. Itachi had Kagome. Kidnapped Kagome. Now Kagome's gotten away somehow… but where is she going? Where is she now?_

"Do any of the other kage's know what's going on?" Tsunade questioned seriously. Jiraiya seemed surprised at the sudden change in her demeanor.

"Well not yet, but Itachi's not hiding the fact that he's searching so it can't be long before word gets out it a person-"

"The council will surely hear of this soon, then," Tsunade began making a plan aloud. "I have to talk to Sasuke… and then I'll have to call a meeting with the council. It will be better if they hear of Kagome from me."

Jiraiya watched his companion with a grin. It had been a while since he had seen Tsunade so driven towards a goal, but fire in her eyes made her even more attractive.

"Jiraiya!" she snapped, turning to him.

"Y-yes?" he said, startled.

"I need you to go to Shizune and inform her that she needs to get the council together for a meeting first thing tomorrow morning. Then, I need you to go find Kakashi and the Inuzuka siblings. They're out in the forest south of here somewhere. Tell them they need to get back to the city as soon as they can."

"All right," Jiraiya shrugged.

"And then, when you've done all that," Tsunade was making a list, almost frantically going over everything to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything. "I need to you to go find Naruto and bring him back."

"Where's the brat?" Jiraiya noted Tsunade's urgency, and became curious. "Is this girl-"

"This needs to happen immediately," she intoned seriously. "As fast as you can, okay? No fooling around. I've no idea where Naruto is, but he needs to be informed with everyone else on the new plan of action."

"Oka-" Jiraiya was silenced as he felt Tsunade peck in cheek in thanks before she promptly disappeared from the bar.

"I hope you'll be paying for that, sir," the bartender gave him a dark look before glancing to Tsunade's saki jug. Jiraiya glanced at the two other empties that sat beside it and groaned, realizing that Tsunade had left him to foot her bill.

**tbc.**

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**EDITED: 30/05/10**


	11. Sand Land

**A/N:** Okay, so check this out. I've been writing... and not writing. I just got the R4 chip for my DS, and I've been putting it to good use. ;) I thought you'd be interested in why I haven't updated...

In other news, this is the super-edited combination of the original Chapter 11 Part 1 and Chapter 11 Part 2… and it's now been combined into Chapter 11, and it's like, insanely effing long. Like 33 pages long. Whooooooooooo-ie.

This combined chapter remains dedicated to one of my reviewers; _FrenchGirl_. I don't remember why… but it is. So, for you, _FrenchGirl_, with all my love!

I would also like to reply to one of my anonymous reviews here... from someone named _maru_? I would like to thank you, maru, for your kind words. I'm glad that you were plesantly surprised with my story, after disliking the beginning. I agree with your opinion of Kikyo... she isn't a bad person, and I didn't want to make her one. I just wanted to play on Naraku's influence and ability to change shape to trick the Inu-Gang.

Now, for some explanations about this chapter… there are a series of timeskips that take place throughout this massive post of mine. The way it's set up, is that we follow Kagome in "present time" and every flash back documents how much time has passed, and we see what everyone else has been up to in the meantime.

In regards to Kagome's diary, which makes an appearance in this chapter, I would like to point out that the entry was written some time in the past, long before Kagome made it into Naruto's world. That's why her personality in the entry and her personality in current time don't match up. By the way, the song in this chapter is _Que Sera Sera_ by Jennifer Terran.

I hope that clears everything up… but if it doesn't (or even if it does) please feel free to leave any questions or comments in a review!

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**Piano Man**

**XI: Sand Land**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

The cool press of a steel blade to her throat was a welcomed sensation.

Logically, she would have been tense and unsure of what would happened next- but at this point- starved, weather-beaten, and with no money for food or water or shelter, even capture was welcome because it _meant_ food and water and a roof over her head. Her eyelids were heavy, her hair was greasy, and her throat was dry. She didn't _care_, damnit. And her ribs were achy.

Kagome supposed it was going to rain.

-: Five Weeks Ago :-

Naruto shrugged Sasuke's hand off his shoulder. He was acting awfully weird… for a teme. Hopping onto a roof, Naruto paused a moment to think. Kagome was missing. Tsunade-baa-chan was sending out a search team to look for her. He hadn't been assigned anything specific yet, but he'd be damned if he wouldn't be the one to find her.

Despite having known her for less than 48 hours, he'd developed a fondness for Kagome. She was the nicest person he'd ever met- next to Iruka-sensei, of course- and she liked him. She wasn't scared of him; she didn't treat him like a nothing. She wasn't afraid to show him her weakness. She wasn't afraid to touch him. She smelled nice. And she wasn't afraid of the demon sealed inside of him! She'd even made sure to keep the old fox in line.

Naruto understood it was a rather childish way of looking at the situation, but even thinking about the blue-eyed girl was enough to make his heart flutter. Kagome was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He had to find her. He couldn't believe that Kagome would just run away without telling him, and he couldn't believe that she would use her powers- whatever they were- to do something that would hurt Konoha, and though indirectly, him.

Quickly coming to a decision, Naruto made a clone and gave it instructions to fetch Neji. He himself made a mad dash towards Sasuke's, hoping that no one had arrived yet. In the middle of a leap, Naruto had the sense of mind to send a second clone sprinting towards his own house to fetch his travel bag, supplies, and a change of clothes. Swinging in through the window he had left open earlier that morning, Naruto made haste getting to Kagome's room.

Glancing suspiciously up and down the hall, he shut the door behind him with a _snap._ Kagome's bag was sitting, tucked away in a corner, her pajamas tossed in a haphazard pile beside it. A blush crossed his face at the thought of how personal what he was about to do was, but with a swallow he strode towards the bag and set to work.

Naruto methodically emptied the bag, separating Kagome's belongings into two different piles. Important stuff, and… not-so-important-girlie-things. The second pile, which was by far the largest, consisted of Kagome's multiple changes of clothes (Naruto was beet red- what was with the stringy thing? Kagome considered it _clothes?_), toiletries (some rather interesting smelling bottles), first-aid supplies (he'd never seen so much gauze in one place) and other rather civilian-esque accessories like hair ties and clips and such.

The other pile was by far more interesting… despite its smaller size. It consisted of a finely carved dagger, a small bottle on a chain containing strange pink slivers, a rectangular box with a screen and some kind of wire, and a book that looked suspiciously like a diary. Just as Naruto was about to examine the contents of the pile, the door to the bedroom burst open with a slam.

Naruto immediately swung around with Kagome's blade at the ready, but it was blocked by the arm of his clone. He heaved a small sigh of relief, and was about to open his mouth to yell when his clone began speaking, and thrust his travel bag to him.

"Here's the stuff. Neji and Naruto are on their way here now. Sasuke's just met up with them. Naruto clone is going to disappear when they aren't paying attention." Having relayed all the information, Naruto's clone promptly saluted and disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Naruto quickly tossed the dagger, the jar, the box and wire, and the diary into his travel pack. He would have to examine the things later. Hastily repacking Kagome's bag, he propelled himself out the window and into the sunshine.

-: With Kagome :-

Kagome groaned as water was splashed on her face.

"Hey, hot-stuff, rise and shine." A voice, cocky and sure, mocked her. Pulling herself into an upright position, Kagome ran a hand down her face and through her hair.

Glancing around at her surroundings, Kagome realized that she wasn't in a prison at all- she was currently lying in a hospital bed. In a hospital. In a hospital gown.

Ew.

"Where am I?" she turned to look at the man who had woken her up. Purple face-paint adorned his cheeks and forehead in swooping lines, and a hood with two peculiar points (that looked strangely like cat ears) covered the rest of his head from view.

"You're not quite in the place to be making demands, now are you?" he shot back, crossing his arms. "We rescued you- you were on the brink of starvation, dehydration- you're lucky Gaara decided to send you to the hospital and not a cell, you were nosing around for almost three days."

"You mean I was just walking around outside your… place here, for three days? And you didn't think to come rescue me from the _desert_?" Kagome felt a little hysterical. And the sunburn on her face only served to attest to it.

"It was kind of entertaining." The man shrugged. "You sort of went in circles. At first we were curious, because of your strange chakra-signal, and maybe that's why Gaara decided to keep you around, but I think otherwise and-"

Kagome cut the man's babble off with a well-aimed knee into the groin. Reaching around to hold her hospital gown shut, Kagome headed for the door as the man rolled around on the floor, moaning.

"I don't see why this _Gaara_ person keeps _you_ around, you sack of lard." Kagome sneered, giving him a glare down her nose. Kagome turned to stomp out the door and promptly walked into another person.

"Gaara keeps him around because he's family," a voice intoned. "Unfortunately."

Kagome looked up to see a green-eyed blonde with her hair done up in a rather impressive four-bun style. Unsure of what would happen next, Kagome stood there, hands behind her back to keep the gown closed. The woman in the doorway glanced at the man moaning on the ground behind her, and then grinned.

"My name's Temari. That moron is my brother, Kankuro. Judging by your excellent aim, I'd have to say that I think we're going to get along just fabulously. Welcome to Suna."

-: Four Weeks Ago :-

Sasuke sat, slightly stiff, staring out his window into the morning sun. It had been just about a week since Kagome had disappeared… and absolutely nothing had gotten done. Neji still came over in his free time, snooping around the backyard with his Byakugan from time to time, but after examining the area with his own Sharingan, and after Kakashi had done the same with his own, Sasuke knew that the Hyuuga would find nothing.

His stomach growled, and pulled him out of his thoughts. Climbing out of bed, Sasuke threw on a ribbed undershirt and headed down for breakfast. Naruto hadn't been around in a while- not since everyone had arrived at his house for the debriefing.

The Inuzuka siblings and Kakashi's summons had sniffed around the area, and picked up Kagome's scent, before fanning out and searching for any traces of Kagome. Sasuke had taken Tsunade up to Kagome's temporary room, and shown her Kagome's bag- which Tsunade had immediately rifled through right in front of him.

Nothing had been learned besides Kagome's taste in undergarments- if they were even to be called such- and had left Sasuke rather abashed and embarrassed to even look at Tsunade at all. After Tsunade had left, Sasuke had returned to his garden and promptly kicked Neji out.

Every day since then, his life had slipped into a new routine. He'd wake up, eat breakfast (the fruit salad Kagome had made only stretched so long) and then Neji would promptly show up thereafter. He would sit and watch Neji accomplish nothing in the backyard, kick the boy out after a tense, shared lunch, and then spend the afternoon in the garden doing his own examining.

More than once he had jumped down the well, curious to see if he could find anything at the base of it. No matter how many times he used the genjutsu release, nothing appeared. No matter how many times he felt around for hidden passageways, nothing happened. There was no chakra at the bottom of the well, and there was no sign of Kagome beyond a scrap of her shirt that had likely caught when she had fallen.

Depression was quick to settle in, even though Sasuke hated feeling useless. _Today,_ Sasuke decided_, I won't let that pale-eyed moron in, even if he tries to kick the door down. There's no point anyhow._

And so Sasuke resigned himself to wait, wait and see whether Kagome would come back, or even for some kind of sign as to what he should do next. Tsunade had put him under a house-arrest of sorts; because she wanted someone nearby at all times to see if something happened regarding the well. Now Sasuke munched on a piece of toast, staring out into the overgrown mess that was his backyard, and made a decision. Something had to be done to keep him busy anyhow, and he wasn't feeling musically creative.

Maybe musically retarded.

It was not until he dragged his deadened limbs from the bathtub later that night and took in the marvelous dirt-ring he'd left behind on the porcelain that he decided gardening was not going to be his new hobby.

His feet and his mind wandered aimlessly around the house, and he paused for a moment, clad in clean boxers with his wet towel draped around his neck, at the door to the piano room. He remembered, over a week ago, how he had stood in almost the same spot, and watched Kagome play the piano with such gentle longing it made his heart crack. He remembered the way his mother would play and sing such lovely songs- sometimes made up right on the spot, and how he would laugh in delight at the silly words.

Without realizing, he had moved on and headed back upstairs and away from the piano room. His feet brought him to a stop at Kagome's door, and after a moment's hesitation, he strode in. The room was dusty and faintly musky, but Kagome's clothes and belongings smelled lightly perfumed, and as he walked through the room the scent tickled his nose pleasantly.

He moved to sit in the window seat, and his foot brushed something in the shadows of the evening. Reaching down, his fingers came across the case that Neji had gifted Kagome- the black plastic worn and smooth. His fingers drew across the surface slowly, and Sasuke had the strange sensation of déjà vu. His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes closed, and as his fingers traced the case, Sasuke realized that his fingers knew what they were doing even though his memory didn't remember. Nimble digits flicked the case open almost silently, and the cool metal of the flute was swiftly assembled.

The head of the flute was stuck in its place in the case, because part of the case had been squashed. After tugging on it for a moment, Sasuke's fingers found a rough bump in the soft velvet casing, and with no hesitation, he pushed it down. Obligingly, the head of the flute popped free, and Sasuke stared at it with consternation.

_How did I know how to get the thing out of the case?_ He wondered. _How do I know how to put it together? Why do I _know_ these things?_ Bringing up the assembled flute to his lips, Sasuke automatically adjusted his grip, cocking his left elbow and crossing his right arm over his chest.

_I know this flute_. He realized. _I've played this flute before._

Sasuke lowered the instrument and stared at it with a mixture of feelings. Why couldn't he remember? Placing Kagome's flute down beside him on the seat, Sasuke abruptly left the room.

"I don't want to deal with this." He growled aloud, slamming his door behind him. Falling into bed, his damp hair tickled the back of his neck unpleasantly.

"I don't want to remember." He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, but with growing frustration realized that he wasn't very convincing.

-: With Kagome :-

"Uh," Kagome scratched the back of her neck.

"Yes?" Temari questioned, as she filled out the papers that would release Kagome from the hospital and into her care.

"I was just wondering… well, if I could get my clothes back?" Kagome asked.

"They're filthy, dirty things," Temari raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want them back? We'll buy you some new ones, if you'd like."

"They're just…" Kagome paused. "They're kind of sentimental. And I don't want to be a bother- maybe if there are parts that I could still get some use out of, and then you wouldn't have to get me a whole new outfit, because I'd feel bad for wasting your money after you've been so kind and taken care of my hospital tab, and-"

"Oh, all right," Temari sighed. "Just shut up."

Kagome did so, wide-eyed, but when Temari giggled at her expression, Kagome let her shoulders relax with relief and giggled back. Temari spoke to a lady who was passing by in the hall, and a moment later, returned with her rather ratty looking clothes and clean undergarments.

After slipping into a pair of new underwear and a bra with a sigh of pleasure, Kagome turned to assess the damage of her clothes. There were little snags and a long tear up one of her jean legs- the bottoms were fraying where they had been walked on and dragged, the knees were thin, and in a spot on the other leg, aside from the snags, the seam up the leg had ripped when she had gotten stuck.

Her shirt, or what was left of it after she'd cut it up a week ago, was more or less in the same condition, though after the jagged cutting job it was beginning to unravel. Naruto's jacket had protected her best in her flight from Itachi, and was the healthiest looking out of everything she'd had on. After being washed, it almost looked like new. The orange shade, though slightly blinding, was comforting.

"Oh- and these are yours," Temari said. Kagome turned as she handed her a pair of kunai- the blades Kisame had given her when she had left the Akatsuki base.

"Are you allowed to just give me my weapons back?" Kagome questioned, but taking them gratefully nonetheless.

"Well, I'd hope you wouldn't do anything stupid with them," Temari began. "But you don't appear to have any more chakra than the average civilian, which leaves you outmatched in every way whether it's me, my brother, or anyone else." She shrugged.

"Besides," she pointed out a moment later. "You won't get far in the desert by yourself. You've already learned that the hard way."

"Good point," Kagome acquiesced. She decided that it was best for her to play stupid about ninja and such- which wasn't exactly hard. Though she didn't want to lie about her own powers, Kagome realized that it might be necessary. Taking another glance at her pants, and then the blades in her hand, Kagome sighed. _I just seem to be hacking at my clothing. And this was one of my favorite pairs of pants, too._

Hacking through jean material was a lot harder than cotton, but Kagome managed it after a brief struggle. Her once-jeans and were now little shorts, borderline indecent. The plus was that she'd likely get a nice tan- and they didn't restrict motion at all. Pulling her shirt on over her head, the strings tickled her abdomen. _Maybe a new shirt…_ Kagome mused.

"Ooh, cute," Temari cooed. "I've got an idea,"

Kagome barely had a second to grab Naruto's sweater before she was pulled out of the hospital door. The rock ground was hot underneath her feet and Kagome took to hopping along behind the blonde as she was dragged through the streets.

"Tem- ouch!" Kagome cried as a rock poked the ball of her foot. "_Shoes_?"

"Oh, I forgot." Temari apologized. Glancing around, Temari saw a cheap little booth that sold handmade sandals. "Here, this'll work- pick out something you like as a stand in,"

Kagome glanced around before coming to a quick decision on a pair of sandals almost identical to Miroku's.

"These will do."

"They'll last long!" the lady behind the cart said. "Good choice,"

"Thank you," Kagome thanked the lady and Temari. "These will be fine- don't worry about something else other than this."

"Are you sure…?" Temari asked, glancing down at the sandals. They were cute, she supposed.

"Oh yes," Kagome grinned. "I used to wear sandals like this all the time."

"If you say so," Temari shook her head with a grin. "Now, you'll need one of these… and hmm, some of these… and this ooh, this matches your eyes nicely, too…"

After twenty minutes of accessorizing, Kagome stepped out of a changing stall feeling rather ninja-like. She had a fishnet top underneath her white shirt- though it only passed the fraying fabric by a couple of inches. She also had matching bands around her forearms and her calves. She was wearing a little blue bandanna-scarf around her neck, loosely so it could cover the lower half of her face if need be. Apparently it matched her eyes, and complimented the blue on Naruto's sweater. Temari had also gifted her with a little leather case for her two kunai, which rested comfortably from a belt loop on her right side.

"Well I like it," Kagome said. "Just maybe not these…" she gestured to the fishnet on her arms and legs.

"They're a little itchy, and they're falling down a little." She said as she pulled one up.

"Well ok, take them off." Temari said. "They're horrible for tanning, too, I must confess. The crisscrossing isn't very attractive." She winked.

Giggling, Kagome tossed them over the little return rack and exited the little boutique with Temari, arm in arm. Temari was a lot like Sango, now that she thought about it, but more harsh from different angles. She definitely had the no-nonsense thing down pat.

"Where are we going now?" Kagome asked, watching the bustle of the market as the passed.

"Well, now that you're presentable we need to check in with Gaara… but then how about some sightseeing and a bite to eat?"

Kagome's stomach rumbled in agreement before she had a chance to reply and Temari simply laughed. The laughter was infectious, and Kagome quickly found herself laughing too, glad that she had been found by Temari and not by someone else.

Temari led her through the maze of streets until they approached a large building that was not unlike the Hokage tower in Konohagakure. Kagome silently sized the building up- Konoha's was taller, but this one was fatter. Temari tugged her along and through the high-ceilinged halls as she was led to the room where she supposed she'd meet up with this person named Gaara.

They stepped through grand oak doors and into a large room. At one end there was a large window, and directly in front of that there was a beautiful oak desk, with chairs in front of it. In the seat behind the desk there sat a mop of brilliantly red hair, and Kagome's mind drifted back to the man she had passed in the base during her escape. His name though… _Sasori,_ her mind supplied. _Not Gaara._

"Temari," he greeted without looking up from the stack of papers on his desk. "You certainly took your time."

"Just needed to make some modifications," Temari said airily with a wave of her hand. "But it seems you're busy enough. Should we come back later?"

"It will be a good excuse for a…" Gaara trailed off as he looked up for the first time and caught Kagome's eyes. His eyes were a brilliant shade of aqua, and were accented by dark lines around his eyes and a tattoo for 'love' on his forehead. "…break."

Temari, who seemed to catch on to Gaara's hitch in speech, gave Kagome a gentle nudge in the ribs with her elbow. Kagome's inspection of the man in front of her came to an abrupt stop, and she flushed a gentle pink.

"It's nice to meet you, my name is Kagome." She bowed. "Thank you for not throwing me in a jail cell!"

"Are you a thief or a criminal?" Gaara questioned slowly after a moment.

"Uh, no…" Kagome replied.

"Then why would I throw you in jail?" Gaara replied with a kind of smug expression. It was hard to read his face- probably because of the lack of eyebrows, but Kagome could see it in his eyes the same way she could read Sesshomaru, and the same way she could read Itachi.

"Well Kankuro said-"

"Anyways," Temari interrupted, clearing her throat. "Kagome's been released from the hospital, everything healed except for the rest of her _sunburn_," she emphasized.

Kagome was sure she turned a shade pinker, but was grateful for the excuse for what she was sure was rather blatant pinkness. It covered the blush of embarrassment easily.

"I figured I'd get her an apartment in the city, and you could just decide what to do from there?" she questioned, flopping down rather eloquently in one of the chairs in front of Gaara's desk.

"That will be fine. I just need to ask you some questions." Gaara directed to Kagome, nodding to the chair beside Temari.

Kagome moved and sat down lightly, unsure of how this meeting would continue. Gaara's stare was piercing and intense, so she looked at her lap. "Of course… I'll answer to the best of my ability."

Gaara glanced down at his papers, and shuffled through them until he found the one he was looking for. Pulling out a strange looking pen, Kagome watched as little particles of sand swirled around it, forming a hand. The hand then scribbled something down on paper, and Gaara turned again to face her.

"Your name," he stated.

"Kagome Higurashi."

"Your age,"

"Sixteen…" Kagome said, remembering. "But I'm turning seventeen in a couple of weeks!"

"Your village,"

"Err…" Kagome began. "I don't really come from a village. At least, not that you'd know of,"

"Explain, please," Gaara commented, and the hand scribbled something out.

"Well," she paused. "I was cursed, and I fell out of the sky and ended up here? And… I don't remember where I was before that…?" a _total_ lie.

Gaara studied her for a moment, and Kagome felt like disappearing under his scrutiny. She ducked her chin under her scarf and looked at her hands.

"You are not a ninja," again, it was more of a comment than a question.

"No." Kagome replied. "I know some self defense, but that's it." A partial lie this time.

"You were found with blades and self-defense injuries." Gaara commented, reading something off his sheet. "Please explain how you made your way to Suna."

"Well," Kagome began again. "I was found by some ninja in another village… his name is Naruto Uzumaki. He and his team rescued me from the forest." 99 percent the truth.

Kagome noticed Gaara and Temari seem to straighten at the name.

"The Hokage of the village allowed me to stay under the roof of Sasuke Uchiha, so I would be under 24-hour surveillance. I fell… down a well in his backyard," it sounded even more ridiculous out loud than it did in her head, "And fell unconscious. I woke up in the Akatsuki lair under the care of one of the ninja there…"

Gaara's pen was scrawling furiously across the paper, but Gaara's stare dragged her attention away from the pen. His reaction to Sasuke's name was the narrowing of eyes… and so Kagome decided to bend the truth a little more than she already was.

"Which ninja?"

"Well, his name is Kisame," Kagome said, hoping that nothing too horrible was happening to the man who helped her escape.

"Kisame Hoshigaki," Gaara stated.

"I suppose," Kagome said. "I didn't know he had a last name."

"Please continue."

"I had a minor concussion, several fractured and broken ribs- one punctured my lung." Kagome said, remembering the stock Itachi had given her of her injuries when she had first awoken. "Some mild pneumonia and a fever. Other scrapes and bruises. I was nursed back to health."

"How did you escape?" Temari asked eyes wide. "You did _escape_ from _the Akatsuki_,"

"A man named Itachi… was looking for me…" Kagome started slowly. "When I hid. Kisame helped me escape."

"And you've managed to stay out of Itachi's grasp for so long?" Gaara seemed to think she was lying. It was clearly said in his tone of voice. Was Itachi really so famous? _Well,_ she mused, _if he could see me when I was inside my barrier…_

"I'm really good at travelling and supporting myself," Kagome said. "I'm used to living off the land, so I can travel for weeks in the forest with no human contact. I'm used to covering my tracks."

"From whatever you did before you were cursed," Gaara allowed.

"I-" Kagome hesitated. "I guess,"

"So you were nursed back to health by the same man who set you free after kidnapping you and you successfully eluded Itachi Uchiha. Does his younger brother, Sasuke have anything to do with his hunt for you?"

"I don't know," Kagome shook her head. "Itachi didn't talk much about his brother."

Gaara remained silent for a while, and just looked at Kagome, scrutinizing her, as if he was looking for flaws in her story, in her composure. As if he could sense her lies.

"How did you end up here?"

"I ran," Kagome said. "I've just been travelling this way for almost a week now. Moving in the forest. Camping out at night. I got chased by bandits a couple of days ago- that's where the newer scrapes were from, because I fell down a ravine and into a river."

Gaara's sand-hand finally dissipated, and dropped the pen. He glanced at Temari once before slowly dragging his eyes back to Kagome. Kagome simply stared back, still amazed at the beautiful hue of his eyes, and to a lesser extent, his hair.

"A hotel will not be necessary," he spoke to Temari. "She can stay in the mansion with us. There is plenty of room."

"Sweet," Temari grinned.

"Wait- a mansion? That isn't really- I mean, it's your home, and I don't want to be a bother-" Kagome's babble was cut off with a stare from Gaara. It seemed that both he and his sister were both quite able to silence her babbling effectively.

"O-okay, thanks," Kagome said. "You're very… kind."

Temari rose, and pulled Kagome away with her. "We're going to get lunch. See you for dinner?"

"Do no be late," Gaara said, and gave them a wave. Kagome gave a little wave back, but Gaara was already looking away, down at his papers.

"Your brother is…" Kagome began, once they were down the hall and out of earshot.

"Scary? Intimidating? Sadistic?" Temari offered.

"Well, sort of." Kagome giggled.

"He's not so bad once you get to know him. And he used to be a lot worse." Temari paused, remembering. Turning to Kagome, she winked.

"Besides, I think he likes you."

-: Three Weeks Ago :-

Naruto slumped against a tree. He'd been up and down through the Land of Fire and found hide nor hair of Kagome or her whereabouts. It was disheartening, but Naruto knew he couldn't give up. There was no way she could have gotten very far away without the help of a ninja- because even though she had some strange abilities, she didn't even know the land.

Reaching into his bag to find the tinder to start a fire, Naruto's hands passed over something cool and smooth. Pulling it out, Naruto recognized the strange box from Kagome's bag that he had tucked away. He'd forgotten all about her stuff. Examining the metal thing in the fading light of the evening, Naruto discovered a rounded section that seemed to be buttons. There was a glass square above it- a screen, Naruto figured. Busy looking for an on-switch, Naruto found a little small hole at the top of the device. Reaching through his bag, he pulled out the wires he'd found wrapped around the thing, and found that it plugged in through the hole. As he plugged the wire in, he found a little button. Pressing it down didn't work, but as he accidentally found out, it slid from one side to the other. After flicking it back to the side, he discovered that the screen had lit up.

It didn't take Naruto long to figure out how to work the strange device- the scroll wheel, the back and select buttons- but Naruto was more than surprised to hear music coming from the small device when he accidentally had selected one of the lists. A song began to play from the little buds that he had attached to the device, and so Naruto placed them in his ears and fell asleep listening to the strange music device of Kagome's; the unlit fire all but forgotten.

The next morning Naruto woke up stiff, the little device turned off, and rather damp from the morning dew. Hastily wiping it off, he shoved it back into his bag, and pulled out some jerky and the rest of Kagome's items. The dagger he wore now, tucked into his kunai holster, but he pulled out the strange bottle and Kagome's diary.

"I don't want to read your diary," Naruto said, looking at the book and speaking to Kagome. He knew she couldn't hear him, but…

"Don't want to read it," he repeated, reaching out and flipping open the cover. His other hand closed around the strange jar. "But I need to find you, Kagome-chan…"

Naruto took in the delicate scrawl; '_This belongs to Kagome Higurashi'_, and turned the page with a gulp. Squinting in the morning light, Naruto read the first entry.

_Dear Diary,_

_It's Kagome again. Well, who else would it be writing in Kagome's diary? How silly._

_Anyhow, I just came back through the well earlier today, and I brought a new book because the old one was looking a little ragged… I think it was all my tearstains that had damaged the bindings after soaking through the pages. :)_

_I'm glad I can smile about it now, actually. I'm not over InuYasha by any means… but I think I'm learning to be more mature about it. I still hope that he'll just open his eyes and see me for who I am and not Kikyo… but that day hasn't come yet._

_But don't worry, diary, I'll be strong. I know that somewhere, I've got someone just for me. The longer this goes, the more I wonder whether or not that someone is InuYasha. I really, really hope it is… unless the 'someone just for me' is even cuter. Teeheehee!_

_We found another couple of jewel shards today… that puts the rest of them out there at less than ten. We're getting close, and everyone is tense- especially InuYasha. Kikyo hasn't been floating around much and we can all tell that InuYasha's getting antsy about whatever she's up to. Ever since she took my shards it's been uncertain whose side she's actually on… and even though I should hate her, I don't. I'm actually starting to think that she's on our side in this fight against Naraku…_

_As the first victim to his madness, you'd think she'd know all about all the pain, suffering, and death Naraku has caused. I want to believe that she's still good. I don't think Kikyo deserves to go to hell, and I certainly don't think she deserves to take InuYasha with her._

_But anyways- enough about Kikyo. Shippo did the cutest thing today… he was just playing while we set up camp, but when we went to get him for dinner, he was playing with this litter of fox-kits! They were rolling around and playing tug of war… their little chirps and growls were the cutest things. Shippo doesn't get to play with anyone his age and he doesn't have other companions like foxes. I think it was good for him to get to let out the more animalistic side of his demon- I haven't seen him so chipper in a long time._

_None of us have really been happy for a long time, what with the shadow of Naraku's power hanging over us. I hope we find a way to stop him once and for all, and I really hope none of us have to die trying._

_It's getting late, and InuYasha is giving me the stink-eye for being up still; he's probably going to have us up and about ridiculously early in the morning. If that's the case than I might be too tired to write tomorrow… but don't worry, diary, I won't forget to write afterwards. Goodnight!_

_Kagome Higurashi_

Naruto traced her signature with his fingers, and then looked to the bottle in his hands. Chewing thoughtfully on his jerky, he thought back to her words earlier on in the entry. She mentioned travelling… through a well? Naruto thought back to the well in Sasuke's backyard.

Did that mean that Kagome had travelled back to her own time? Did that mean Kagome was… _gone?_

Shaking the bottle, Naruto realized that the items inside were jewel shards. Whatever they were for, Kagome was collecting them. She needed them… to defeat the evil guy, Naraku, perhaps? Either way, if Kagome had in fact gone home, she would need to return for these jewel shards.

Naruto tucked them away into his jacket. At least if he couldn't find Kagome, then Kagome could just come to him.

-: With Kagome :-

"Kagome," Gaara greeted, moving out onto the balcony beside her.

"Hello, Gaara," Kagome smiled softly, before turning back to the setting desert sun. She stood rather stiffly as he moved beside her, but as he relaxed against the rail beside her Kagome felt her own posture mirror his.

They stood in silence for several long minutes before Kagome turned to Gaara. The words she had thought to speak were silenced at the brilliant aura that surrounded Gaara's form from the sunset. His blood red hair seemed to glow, and it only served to set off his luminous aqua eyes.

"Do you like it here?" Gaara questioned, turning to meet her stare.

"Yes," Kagome said, surprised. "Despite the heat, it's pleasant."

"Though you know you are not a prisoner," Gaara continued. "You're free to leave whenever you please,"

"Then that has changed, hasn't it?" Kagome said. "You're keeping an _eye_ on me."

"Because you are foreign," he replied. "We need to protect our people. If they fear you, then we need to take precautions so their fear is assuaged."

"I suppose," Kagome allowed. "But I won't hurt you."

Gaara simply watched her, and when Kagome had finally had enough of his staring, she decided to say so.

"Why do you stare at me all the time?" she questioned, crossing her arms. "Is there something wrong with me?"

Gaara studied her a moment longer before replying, "Why do _you_ stare at _me_…?"

Kagome felt instantly guilty for being caught staring. She blushed slightly and turned her face away so that her hair hid it. Her voice low, she mumbled. _"You're pretty."_

Because Kagome's face was turned she missed Gaara's smile- his hearing sharper than she expected. Gaara turned away from the sun, and rested against the rail from behind. Kagome stood there for a moment and then spun around so she was standing the same way.

"Is there something I can help you with, Gaara?" Kagome asked politely, though her face still threatened to turn beet red. She carefully kept her eyes from his, and didn't turn to face him.

"No," Gaara replied simply. "Is my presence bothering you?"

"Well no…" Kagome replied. "I was just wondering why you're always around. You're pretty busy, aren't you?"

"Yes," Gaara smiled a little. "I _am _very busy. I am the leader of this village. As you might be able to imagine, there are many things I must overlook and oversee."

"Then why are you here right now?" Kagome questioned, and turned to look curiously at Gaara.

"Because I want to be." Gaara's voice was assuring, and Kagome blushed. "Would you care to accompany me for lunch?"

Kagome gave Gaara a strange look out of the corner of her eye, but a motion from inside the balcony stole her attention. Temari was inside, peering out at them, shaking her head up and down so vigorously that Kagome suspected her little buns of hair would fall off her head and smack her in the face.

"Er- yes," Kagome grinned, glancing back to Gaara, who apparently had noticed his sister as well. "I'd love to."

"Excellent," Gaara replied with a vibrant smile- Kagome was certain she stopped breathing for a moment. His smile was positively brilliant; lighting up his face in such a strange, yet lovely way. The glimpse of his pearly teeth behind his lips made Gaara look deliciously handsome, and Kagome had to turn away as heat flooded her face.

From what she had pieced together from various stories she had overheard in the village and even from Temari herself, Kagome knew Gaara wasn't usually so approachable. For a large portion of his life- the majority of it, in fact- Gaara had been a ruthless, emotionless killer who didn't stop for anyone or anything. The knowledge of the kind of person Gaara used to be had worried Kagome much more than she had revealed to Temari, because Kagome had experienced her fair share of emotionless killers.

Kagome understood that the thirst for pain and battle and blood could eat away at the real person behind the bloodthirsty façade, no matter how deep their true feelings might have been buried away. She was, however, glad that Gaara had seemed to move away from that phase of his life, and left or move on from that angry, violent façade. Perhaps the only person who she'd ever had the _pleasure_ of meeting that didn't honestly hide anything behind an evil façade was Naraku.

Evil facades aside- Kagome could imagine how the same smile- though much more twisted- could bring another to her knees; for the complete opposite reason compared to how she felt currently. A part of her was secretly glad that Gaara was so kind and open and friendly with her… but that same part then inevitably reminded her of Sasuke… of Naruto… and of InuYasha. And that part of her told her that she didn't deserve the gentle treatment she got from Gaara. That she didn't deserve to stay here with him, happy.

Did she?

"Kagome?" Gaara's voice drew her attention, his palm warm and comforting on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, sorry." Kagome grinned sheepishly. "There's just... some stuff on my mind, is all."

"We can talk about it over sushi, if you'd like." Gaara offered quietly, for once sounding slightly unsure.

"Sushi would be lovely," Kagome grinned, accepting the arm that Gaara then offered her.

Gaara gave another small quirk of his lips before leading her back inside and towards the door. Temari had hidden- or had attempted to hide before realizing she had already been exposed. She was currently _hiding_ half-heartedly on one of the many comfortable leather armchairs situated in the room that had been imported from somewhere or another.

"Temari." Gaara spoke brusquely.

"Ah- yes?" Temari hopped out of her chair and stood straight up at her brother's tone.

"Inform Kankuro that he can take care of the rest of my paperwork for the afternoon, and see that we are not interrupted."

"Can do," Temari grinned, flashing Kagome two thumbs-up. Kagome blushed despite herself, and allowed herself to be towed along gently at Gaara's side.

-::-

"So I don't really know what to do," Kagome explained. "Sasuke and Naruto are waiting for me in Konoha... but Itachi is looking for me, and I really..." she paused.

"I really don't want to be _found_. And then there's that other guy I was telling you about... the one that I think I was taken from? When I was er... cursed."

"Perhaps I might be of some help," Gaara said, tipping and draining his glass of water. The waiter, earlier, had offered their finest sake for the Kazekage and his guest, but Gaara had declined and requested for ice cold spring water instead. Part of Kagome was glad that Gaara had turned down the alcohol, but part of her wished she could take the edge off the guilty feelings that were flowing through her.

"You have an idea?" Kagome questioned, grabbing the last of the tako-yaki off of their shared plate in the center of the table.

"If you would like," Gaara stated, "I would like to escort you back into the walls of Konoha."

"Oh!" Kagome sat wide eyed, amazed at the offer Gaara was presenting her. _A personal escort? _"But you're the Kazekage! You certainly have lots to do; lots of paperwork and work and-"

"It is no trouble, Kagome." Gaara said in such a calming voice that Kagome felt much too much like a little child who was being reassured. "I would not offer otherwise."

"I just don't want to be a burden," Kagome said, rubbing one arm in a shy gesture. "I do know how to take care of myself in the forest... and I have some self defense skills-"

"Perhaps," Gaara began, "if you will not allow me to escort you to Konoha, then you will accept my request to further your combat knowledge."

"My... combat knowledge?" Kagome repeated dumbly.

"I am young yet," Gaara began, "But as a leader of this village, I cannot simply allow a young girl to leave my village without any kind of protection. If I oversaw your training for a few days, then I would be more at ease. You have managed to elude the famous Uchiha Itachi so far, but it would be both upsetting and unfortunate if he managed to catch up and capture you. I would feel partially responsible if you weren't safely returned to your home."

"You mean Konoha...?" Kagome questioned, curious as to which of her _homes_ he was referring to. She was pleasantly surprised, however, at the protectiveness Gaara seemed to feel for her. It was comforting, despite the vow she had once made regarding her helplessness.

"Well first, you are heading there," Gaara repeated. "The impression I was under was that you planned on searching for your true home after you gathered your belongings from the village."

"Well yes," Kagome admitted, surprised he remembered... "I suppose I was."

"So you will allow me to train you?" Gaara repeated firmly. Kagome felt as if his question left no room to say no- and so she didn't.

"All right, if it will put you at ease..." Kagome giggled.

"It would- very much." Gaara smiled again, and Kagome couldn't help but feel rather dazzled.

-: Two Weeks Ago :-

Sasuke was more than frustrated with his lack of progress.

Tsunade had yet to call him into the office with news of Kagome, and Naruto was still in the wind. Kakashi and the Inuzuka siblings had been mysteriously unavailable every time Sasuke went looking for them, and even Sakura seemed to be too busy for him.

If he hadn't known any better, Sasuke would have suspected that something was going down, and he wasn't being filled in on it.

Sitting back, Sasuke wiped the sweat off his forehead with his forearm, and glanced down at the azaleas he was currently weeding. The garden he had meticulously cleaned almost a month ago was not a one time deal- weeds constantly made themselves present, and the flowers and leaves all began to turn unhealthy shades of yellow and brown in the sunlight without his constant attention.

Of course, Sasuke knew that gardens needed watering, but surprisingly it hadn't rained very often at all in the past weeks. He had expected the weather to take care of most of his work, yet to no avail. Beyond the mild irritation of watering, Sasuke had been _informed_ that plants required nutrients as well, and unfortunately for him the only place in town that sold fertilizer was the Yamanaka flower shop.

Of course, this meant interacting with Ino on a regular basis; something that he had, until previously, tried to avoid. Ino was a very intelligent girl- yes. However, she also had a skill (if it could be called that) that Sakura did not. The girl seemed to stick to him like glue, _every time he saw her._ Perhaps this was because Sakura was exposed to him on a regular basis… or maybe it was simply because Sakura had decided that it was time to grow up and move on. Either way, Sakura had learned to take a hint… whereas Ino had _not._

Grumbling to himself all the way through his house and up to his room, Sasuke shuffled through his pile of discarded clothes for his wallet. He needed some more gardening supplies… which meant a visit to the Yamanaka flower shop.

-::-

"Sasukeee! What a pleasant surprise!" Ino chirped from her spot behind the counter. The shop was currently empty save himself and the blonde, so there was nothing to use as a buffer save the plants themselves.

Sasuke glanced at his reflection in the storefront window, doing a quick one-over on his appearance. His skin was coated in a light sheen of sweat; his white shirt was stained with sweat and dirt. His khaki shorts were also dirt stained- and so was his face. The rugged, sweaty look was apparently a turn-on. Sasuke sneered at his appearance with disgust for a moment before turning back to Ino, who by now had made her way from the back of the store to the front.

"Is there anything I can help you with today, Sasuke?" she gave him a sly glance, as if daring him to comment on the double entendre.

"I'm looking for a flower-friendly weed killer," he replied stonily, refusing to let his voice be interpreted as anything but the reason he was here. "I'm also looking for a natural fertilizer, and I need a new trowel and a weed… thingie…" he trailed off, unsure of the proper gardening terminology for the tool he was searching for.

"A… _weed thingie?_" Ino seemed flabbergast at his wording. Running it back through his head, Sasuke supposed he did too.

"It looks like a screw driver. I use it to pull the weeds out from the root." He commented offhand, glancing around the shop at the flowers, and then further back at the isles of supplies. "I snapped the last one." _In frustration…_

"Well," Ino paused, pouting a little at Sasuke's lack of interest. "Let me see what I can do for you. Follow me."

Sasuke took care to remain a fair distance behind Ino, glancing around at all the brilliant shades of colour that decorated the different plants and petals. Ino carried on, leading him to the very back of the store first, where the large bags of fertilizer were stacked.

"This is more expensive," Ino began, pointing to a green and brown bag stacked in piles like all the others. "But it's got the most natural ingredients there are- from manure to mosses, dried and dead straw, and other kinds of fungi that promote healthy, nautral growth. However, the fertilizer requires more watering; at least twice a day, though not for very long."

Sasuke groaned at the thought of more watering, but gave Ino a cursory nod and hefted a bag up and over his shoulder with a small grunt.

"Here," Ino continued up the aisle, "Is a fairly effective weed-killer. It will take care of most of the common garden pests, but some weeds are pretty hearty and will make it through the killer. Most botanists and gardeners prefer to pull weeds by hand anyways, so it's the strongest, safest there is."

Sasuke internally rolled his eyes at the ludicrous idea of enjoying weed-pulling. But whatever- while he wouldn't admit it out loud, Ino did know more about plants and gardening than he did. He grabbed one of the spray bottles of weed-killer and held it in place with the same hand that was balancing the fertilizer on his shoulder.

"As for trowels," Ino directed Sasuke to the next row over, "We have some selection of colour and size. The other small tools are there- hopefully, you'll be able to find some that you like best. I'll be up at the counter when you've decided,"

The door had chimed signifying another customer had walked into the store, so Ino didn't linger, and disappeared around the aisle. Sasuke moved into the last of the little aisles and glanced at the coloured handles of the trowels and tools, and grabbed a set of blue-handled tools, extra-large trowel added as a promotional bonus.

Not wanting to spend more time than he needed to in the Yamanaka shop, he made his way through the rows of plants to the counter, where Ino was waving an elderly woman off who was carrying a massive bouquet of flowers. Ino turned to him with a small, pleasant smile, and wordlessly began adding up his total.

"Did you find everything you needed today?" she gave him a wink as she asked, back to her flirting.

"I did," Sasuke replied, shortly. _No more painful than it needs to be…_

"All right, cool," Ino smiled prettily, waiting for Sasuke to find and count out the right amount.

While he counted through his wallet, Ino turned to the bouquet that she was currently arranging for another customer, of tiger lilies, baby's breath, and yellow roses. Adding some small ferns, she tied the stems together with a yellow ribbon to match the roses, and turned back to Sasuke only to see him watching her carefully.

"Do you make all the bouquets yourself?" he asked, glancing at the arrangement of flowers once more before turning back to her.

"I do," Ino nodded. "Ma used to take care of most of it, but I do it now. In my spare time, at least. It's kind of like a pastime, more than anything."

"I see," Sasuke replied quietly. "You're… very good at it,"

Ino's mouth threatened to drop open, though at the same time, her teeth seemed to be glued together. Sasuke… complemented her? Complimented her skills? She wasn't sure what was going on with Sasuke… but she had to wonder whether or not she liked it. Flushing a light pink, Ino smiled and took the money he offered her.

"Thank you, Sasuke. That means a lot, coming from you."

"Yeah, er… whatever," Sasuke commented. "Keep the change," And with that, Sasuke hefted all his purchases into his arms and practically ran out the door.

"Come again!" Ino called after him with a giggle, her cheeks still flushed pink.

"I'm getting too nice." Sasuke growled to himself as he approached the Uchiha Manor.

"Too nice? Do my ears deceive me?" Neji commented with a chuckle, leaning against the gate of the compound.

"What are you doing here, Hyuuga?" Sasuke all but snarled, before remembering to _try_ to be civil.

"It's been a while since I was by," Neji replied with a shrug of his shoulders. "I was asked to visit to see if there was any change in the well and surrounding area."

Neji followed Sasuke inside as he spoke, trailing behind the Uchiha as Sasuke deposited his purchases on the back deck after tracking more dirt through the house.

"As you can see, nothing has changed but the garden," Sasuke said snidely. "And I can check for differences myself, just fine."

Neji glanced at the garden and back at Sasuke's clothes and supplies, putting the pieces of the puzzle together easily. The mocking lilt slipped from his stance, and his eyes seemed to become hard.

"I don't deserve this hostility, Uchiha," Neji intoned. "I'm following orders."

"And I'm not stopping you, Hyuuga," Sasuke snapped. "Merely pointing out that your presence is unnecessary for your _task_ to be carried out. I do let you into my home, after all,"

"If I was required to be in, then I would be in whether or not you _allowed _me in,"

"Is that a threat?"

Neji stared at Sasuke for a long minute, and shook his head. "This is foolish. I can tell that nothing has changed. I will make a comment of your… capability… in my report back to the Hokage."

Sasuke immediately felt foolish… and dirty, and tired, and frustrated. Grinding his teeth together for a moment in irritation, he sighed, wiping his hands on the seat of his already dirty shorts.

"Would you like some tea?" he questioned, though it sounded more hostile than he had been trying for.

"If you don't mind," Neji gave a wan smile, but followed Sasuke into the kitchen. "Tea would be nice."

The silence was thick and awkward as it hung over the room, and Sasuke frowned at the stove top before pouring Neji's tea and bringing it to the table. Both boys sipped at the hot liquid in silence before Neji finally broke it.

"Where do you think Kagome has gone?"

"I…" Sasuke paused, debating. "I don't know if she's _gone_ or if she's been _taken_. I don't know where she could be, either way."

"Nothing seems to add up. From what we know, Kagome appeared out of no where. Is it safe to think that she's just disappeared as well?"

"I don't think Kagome would just leave," Sasuke replied, sipping at his tea some more. "Not only did she leave her belongings here, but I don't think she'd leave without saying something… especially to Naruto."

"Speaking of, Naruto's been missing for some time, now."

"Supposedly he's been searching for Kagome, too."

"Oh, I see," Neji replied, sipping.

The silence began to fill in between them again, and Sasuke got an itch in the back of his mind. It tiptoed away from his body and up to Kagome's room, which was almost directly above them, and to the flute that Neji had given her.

"That flute you gave Kagome," Sasuke commented. "Why did you give it to her?"

"Music is soothing to the soul. Notes or lyrics… working at the store taught me that." Neji shrugged. "She looked like she was carrying something so heavy… and her face lit up. It seemed like the right thing to do."

"I guess so," Sasuke thought about Kagome's tears when she had heard Neji playing his violin. After a moment of silence, he spoke again.

"You said it was second hand. Do you remember where you got it?"

"The flute?" Neji questioned. "No. It was there before I worked there… but I do remember the day I found it in the back. It was dust-covered and dirty… and the silver was tarnished from years of neglect. I polished and scrubbed for weeks. It looked like it had been in some kind of accident, or something. Maybe some water or fire damage."

"Oh." Was all Sasuke could say, rising to place his now empty mug in the sink.

"Why do you ask?" Neji questioned, placing his own mug beside Sasuke's.

"Just wondering." Sasuke replied sullenly.

"Well, I must be going… I have to submit a report to Tsunade-sama." Neji commented, glancing at the kitchen clock. "Thank you for the tea."

"No problem." Sasuke replied, before turning away, making to head upstairs for a shower. He wanted nothing more than to be clean… and in his clean bed. "You know the way out."

Later, a shower-fresh and much more relaxed than he had been all day, Sasuke sat outside his house with a towel around his neck and a new cup of tea. His conversation with Neji ran through his mind, on replay, on rewind, on fast forward.

Naruto and Kagome were missing. Knowing Naruto- and Sasuke did know him well- he had probably snuck off while no one was looking, and began his own search for their missing friend. Sasuke was unsure of how effective that search would be- but if there was one thing about Naruto that never failed; it was his tenacity to succeed. If anyone was going to find Kagome, Sasuke had no doubt that it'd be Naruto- lest the blonde be no more than a step behind.

He vaguely wondered if he should go searching for his teammate- there was certainly not much he was accomplishing just sitting around at home; besides learning how to properly weed azaleas and the proper proportions of fertilizer and water per square foot.

As his mind slowly drifted from Naruto to gardening, something else Neji said seemed to make a place for itself in the forefront of his mind. _'Music is soothing to the soul. Notes or lyrics… She looked like she was carrying something so heavy… It seemed like the right thing to do.'_

Sasuke scoffed into the evening air, taking another sip of his tea. He remembered the time when music had been a large part of his life… but things had changed. He had changed. Music wasn't the same as it used to be- there were so many painful memories that were attached to the notes he knew, to the chords he knew.

He glanced across the garden to the grand windows that hid his mother's piano from his sight. The sunlight reflected off them as it set, reflecting in his eyes and forcing him to squint. For a moment, he saw his own reflection, tucked away in one of the growing shadows around his house. His mind's eye supplied an image of Kagome, standing triumphant in the middle of the garden, with a beautiful smile stretched across her face.

A rhythm, slow, but strong, seemed to whisper through the tall grass and trimmed leaves, teasing his ears and driving him insane. Draining his tea, Sasuke sat there, restlessly, for only a moment longer before rising and disappearing inside his house, searching for a pencil and a music score.

-: With Kagome :-

_Block. Dodge. Duck. Flip. Jump. Dodge. Block. Duck. Block. Swipe. Block. Dodge._

Kagome's mind repeated the actions seconds before she carried them out as she defended and occasionally attacked against Gaara's sand clone. Gaara himself sat watching several feet away, seated casually in the shade of one of the few trees that grew in the hot desert town.

"Keep your arms closer to your body, Kagome." Gaara repeated. "Your defense is still open around your ribs. You are favouring your abdomen."

"I think it's because of the ribs that broke lower down. It can still get a little sore sometimes." Kagome panted, blocking a fist flying downwards towards her head. It was a lot harder than it looked; fighting without the aide of her powers to repel the attacks. She knew it was crucial not to give anything away now- and she was damned if she was just going to give up because the going was starting to get tough.

"Do you want to stop?" Gaara's concerned tone rang clear through across the field, and Kagome felt an inkling of irritation. _Why does everyone just seem to think that I'm weak and can't handle a little pain? _Gaara seemed to gather her train of thought, and explained himself.

"If you're hurting, you shouldn't let yourself get hurt more. But you know your limits better. If you tell me you can continue, then I will take your word for it."

"I can do it." Kagome stated, jumping and rolling to the side. "I can do it."

"I believe you," Gaara said. He watched Kagome fight his clone a little longer before he rose from his sitting position and moved to stand behind her.

"Kagome, stop." Gaara moved to readjust her arms, and legs. "You're still leaving yourself open. Try this, and see if it helps at all."

Kagome allowed Gaara to adjust her position, a pleasant tingly feeling replacing the irritation that had swept through her before. She could feel the warmth from his closeness against her back. His scent- musky and warm- like sand and earth and sun- encompassed her.

"You're so warm," Kagome commented with a sigh, relaxing her body in his hold for a moment. Gaara's presence was comforting… so comforting and familiar; it reminded her of InuYasha, and the thought made her heart ache terribly.

A light sheen of sweat coated her skin, making her tanned complexion glisten in the afternoon sun. Gaara noticed this as his hands rested lightly on her wrists, and Kagome noticed she could hear his heartbeat, he was so close. His warm breath fanned across her hot skin and tickled the back of her neck.

"I'm a killer," Gaara said slowly, as if afraid to scare her off. "I was raised from birth to kill everyone and everything that ever tried to get in my way."

"I know," Kagome breathed.

She turned in his hold, so she could face him. Gaara dropped her wrists, letting his hands fall to his sides. His eyes were fierce and intense as he stared at her, but undaunted this time, Kagome stared right back.

"But even though you've shed blood, you're still so warm. You're so kind to me. You have taken such good care of me."

"I-"

"I've been put down, I've been left behind, and I've been babied and coddled, when all I wanted to do was to be a part of the fight instead of the one everyone else had to protect."

Gaara remained silent, staring at her stonily, and for once Kagome couldn't read his expression. Raising her hand, she placed it on his cheek tenderly.

"You've believed in me. You've helped me. Thank you for everything, Gaara. You might have been a killer, once Gaara, but you're not that person anymore. You're a better person, and the proof is standing right here before you."

"Kagome-"

"You're what I needed, Gaara. And I am really, really grateful for that. Don't ever forget." Kagome sighed, her voice shaky. The tense emotions that had been swirling within her ever since she had arrived in this strange new world- those same feelings that had overflowed that night with Sasuke- overflowed within her now. Gaara placed his hands on her shoulders, warm and solid and comforting- all of which she was beginning to associate with his presence. With his own little sigh, Gaara closed his eyes and tilted his head forwards, resting his forehead against hers.

"I think you were what I needed too," he whispered.

-::-

"Kagome is leaving," Gaara announced as he strode into the kitchen of the mansion home he shared with his siblings.

"What?" Temari looked up from the book she was reading, propped comfortably in at the kitchen table. "So soon?"

"Are you sad, bro?" Kankuro snickered. He too was in the large kitchen- at the other end of the table, with a tool kit and one of his puppets laid out under the bright kitchen lights. "You and that Kagome chick have gotten awfully close-"

"Watch you mouth, swine." Temari snapped before Gaara even had a chance to respond to his brother's taunt. "You're just pissy cause she nailed you in the ba-"

"_Enough,_" Gaara commanded. "From the both of you. Kagome will be leaving tomorrow morning. I would like a supply bag packed for her with at least blankets and food; enough to last her until she should arrive at Konoha."

"I can take care of it," Temari said, rising from her spot at the table.

"Thank you," Gaara said, inclining his head in her direction. Temari tucked her book under her arm and headed out of the kitchen, sweeping past Kankuro with a disdainful snort. Gaara turned a sharp, stern stare on Kankuro then, who looked up at him, slightly confused.

"That means you are responsible for dinner. Don't screw it up."

"Awww, man!"

-: Two Weeks Ago :-

Rising with the morning sun, Sasuke cracked his back and popped his shoulders before exiting the comfort of his flannel sheets. The morning air was crisp and cool; a light forewarning of the colder weather that was destined to come; but in the meantime, he paid it little heed.

The wooden floor was cold on his bare feet, and the sunlight that streamed through his window warmed his skin where it reached. Letting out a sigh that made his dark hair flutter around his face, Sasuke trudged towards his bathroom to get ready for the day.

As he mindlessly completed his usual morning routine; washing his face, combing his unruly hair, brushing his teeth; Sasuke's mind trailed off. He wondered where Naruto was, and what he was up to. He wondered where Kagome was, and why she had left. The most troubling of all the thoughts that swarmed his mind, however, was the curiosity and worry that he felt for the dark-haired girl who always seemed to be lingering at the back of his mind. Why did it bother him so much? Why did he feel the mixed feelings that he did- about her, and her disappearance?

Sasuke leant heavily on his countertop, and stared at his reflection. He saw the brooding, dark eyes. The long, ebony eyelashes that made his pale skin look even lighter- and the contours of his face. He felt a little narcissistic, staring at his reflection and looking for flaws. But a little part inside of him felt like pitching a fit. He was more than striking. He was smart. He was talented.

_So why hadn't Kagome just tripped over her own two feet the first time they'd met?_ His ego was slightly bruised.

Thinking back to the first time he had met Kagome- he remembered the intense jealousy that had washed over him when he had found her in Itachi's arms. Like everything else in his life, Itachi had managed to get to Kagome first. He _always_ got what he wanted- and he _always_ got what Sasuke wanted, too.

The minute those thoughts ran through his mind, two very, very important things occurred to Sasuke.

One- Kagome's disappearance likely had something to do with Itachi. He had no idea how it was possible- but the feeling in his gut told him it was true.

And two… oh, two. He couldn't lie to himself- especially not now that he had deciphered the thoughts that had plagued him.

He wanted her- Kagome.

He _wanted…_

Kagome.

-: With Kagome :-

Kagome walked through the streets, the chilly night air nipping at the exposed skin of her legs, stealing up Naruto's sweater. Tugging the sleeves down, Kagome glanced around. There was a bar, the warm light and chatter spilling out into the street. Making a split moment decision, Kagome turned and stepped through the open door, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the yellow glow.

"Hey, lady, how're you doing," a man- a bartender- greeted with a wave across the bar and across the din. "C'mon over here, and lemme get ya something warm ta drink."

Kagome made her way past rowdy tables and waitresses with overflowing trays, moving to the bar and the chipper bartender. Taking a seat on a barstool, Kagome unzipped her sweater and rested her elbows on the table, propping her chin on her hands.

"So what can I getcha?" the bartender asked, flipping a small drying cloth over his shoulder.

"I don't have any money," Kagome grinned sheepishly. "I'm just out cause I felt like doing something before I leave,"

"Oh? You's tourist'in?" the man laughed.

"Something like that." Kagome grinned.

"So is it some kinda special celebration then?" he grinned back. "Your last night here in good ole Suna?"

"Mmn," Kagome nodded. "And it's my birthday,"

"Oh! Birthday, lady, well I'd be damned if that ain't a special occasion." The man hooted. "Have a drink, on the house. A birthday gift from me ta you," he winked.

"Oh-" Kagome smiled. "Well thanks, but you don't have to,"

"Think nothing of it, lady," the bartender brushed it off, placing a bottle of warm sake in front of her, and a small cup for drinking it. "Have as much as ya please, s' on me."

"You're kind," Kagome grinned, pouring herself a drink. She sipped at the warm beverage pleasantly, slowly, enjoying the tingle as she swallowed.

"So lady, you a party type?" the bartender reappeared on the other side of the bar, wiping at the counter top beside her.

"Are you hitting on me?" Kagome flashed him a sideways grin, and watched the man flush red.

"Naw, lady, naw- I got me a girlfriend. I was just askin, on account o' ta fact we got some open mike stuff happenin' here tonight." The bartender, clearly embarrassed, waved her off.

"I see," Kagome giggled, sipping at her sake some more. "Well, I suppose I can be…" she trailed off.

"Especially after some sake." The bartender chuckled at that, and tucked his rag away, pausing a moment, leaning on the bar beside her.

"Well, since it's a special occasion 'n all, I think I should sign you up. Whatt'ya say?"

Kagome stared at the porcelain bottle in front of her for a moment, before smiling. "All right, I'll sing a song. _One _song," she gestured, pointing a finger at his nose.

"Great, lady!" the bartender smiled a crooked smile. "What shall I write ya down as?"

"Kagome," Kagome replied with a smile, taking another swig of her sake before moving from her seat to follow the friendly bartender.

-::-

Gaara moved quickly, silently, through the streets; more or less empty so late in the evening. People were inside their homes, asleep, or out enjoying Suna's reputable nightlife. Chatter from various bars and pubs and restaurants spilled out into the streets as he passed- but a voice, crystal and clear, rang out past all the others and captured his attention. Turning into a bar he'd never stepped into before, he took in the sight of the crowded tables, and the crowd that stood on the dance floor in front of a small curtained stage.

"This is a little something that I used to sing with my poppa when I was little." Kagome said into the microphone. She was seated on a piano bench, in front of a shiny black baby grand piano. The audience clapped, encouraging her on.

"He used to play the piano while I sang, but eventually I learned how to play it myself. He taught me how to do it before he died." Collective _awwws_ rang out through the audience.

"You know," Kagome paused to take a sip of her drink- and from across the room, Gaara suspected it was sake. "It's my birthday today. My 13th birthday without my poppa. I'm gonna sing for him tonight."

With that, Kagome pushed her drink aside, rearranged the microphone, and poised her hands over the ivory keys. A haunting, beautiful melody wove its way through the chatter that filled the bar, capturing everyone's attention.

"_When I was just a little girl,_

_I asked my mother, what will I be?_

_Will I be pretty?_

_Will I be rich?_

_And here's what she said, to me."_

Kagome looked almost ethereal in the spotlight on the stage, and she tilted her head and swept her hair out of the way, her fingers pulling delicate chords out of the instrument before her.

"_Que sera… sera…_

_Whatever will be, will be._

_Will be… be…_

_The future's not ours to see_

_Que sera… que sera…_

_Whatever will be."_

Kagome turned to glance at the audience, and Gaara willed for her eyes to find him by the door, where he was leaning. As if she had heard him, her brilliant blue eyes met his green, and Kagome smiled a beautiful, albeit sad smile. It stole Gaara's breath away, and she looked so angelic with her raven black hair shining in the spotlight and her blue eyes gleaming in the smoky bar atmosphere. She turned away from him after a moment, breaking the spell and continuing her song.

"_When I grew up and fell in love,_

_I asked my lover, do you love me?_

_And will you still want me,_

_Day after day,_

_And what will make me feel free?_

_Que sera… sera…_

_Whatever will be, will be._

_Will be… will be…_

_The future's not ours to see_

_Que sera…_

_Whatever will be."_

Kagome's voice, high and clear and beautiful was drowned out in rowdy applause from the crowd as they hooted and hollered and stomped their feet. Kagome flushed beet red and bowed to the audience, before grabbing her drink and ducking away.

The crowd, full of energy and good sprit, cheered the next volunteer onto the stage and quickly got caught up in the mediocre performance. _Of course,_ Gaara thought with a smirk,_ anything would be mediocre after Kagome_.

"Gaara!" Kagome was both pleased and flushed when she appeared at his side. "I didn't know you were here!"

"I didn't know _you _were here," Gaara countered with a teasing lilt. "I didn't know it was your birthday… and I didn't know you could sing so beautifully."

"Thanks," Kagome flushed even further. "I don't do it often. But it was sort of a special occasion, I guess." She sipped from her sake some more, and only protested weakly when Gaara took it from her hands and placed it on a passing waitress' tray.

"You should consider doing it more often, Kagome," Gaara said, placing an arm around her and steering her out of the bar. Kagome wobbled a bit but allowed Gaara to lead her. Perhaps she's sipped once too many from that pretty white bottle. "You're so beautiful."

"Huh?" Kagome giggled, glancing away from the stars and towards Gaara.

"You've a beautiful voice," Gaara said, a gentle flush rising to his cheeks despite himself. Kagome, however, was too tipsy to notice, and was no longer scrutinizing his face.

"Well thanks," Kagome grinned at no one in particular. "My poppa used to tell me all the time. I took singing lessons when I was younger, but then I got caught up with high school and InuYasha and the jewel shards and then I sorta fell out of music and singing and stuff."

"High school? InuYasha? Jewel shards?" Gaara couldn't help the curiosity that bubbled up within him, and quickly pieced together that a less-than-sober Kagome had some loose lips.

The way she stiffened in his arms told him more than enough that she was keeping secrets; but for once, Gaara decided that not knowing might be better. After all, she was drunk; and it could be anything that she was really talking about. He sighed, making his red fringe flutter. When Kagome wobbled once more, he scooped her up, tucking her head against his neck, one arm across her back, and one under her knees. Kagome almost immediately drifted off into a light slumber, humming a tune that he didn't recognize against his neck.

"Happy birthday, Kagome."

-::-

"Thanks for everything, Temari," Kagome said, hugging her new friend fiercely. "I won't forget you, ever."

"I _should think not_," Temari giggled, squeezing back. "And don't worry- we'll come visit you in Konoha sooner or later!"

Kagome didn't have the heart to repeat the truth to the blonde ninja, so she nodded against her shoulder before pulling away and stepping towards the man who had been in her hotel room when she had awoken- Kankuro.

"I suppose I should thank you for saving my life," Kagome said, narrowing her eyes at the puppeteer.

"I suppose you should," Kankuro said, crossing his arms and sticking out his tongue.

"Well," Kagome said awkwardly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied with a smug grin. Before he had a chance to react, Kagome reached out and tugged his hood over his eyes, but not before smooshing his cheeks and ruining his face paint. Temari openly guffawed at her brother and Kagome turned to Gaara, glad to see the smile on his face.

"Thanks for everything, Gaara," Kagome said quietly, coming to a stop in front of him. "I really, really mean it."

"I know," Gaara replied fondly, his green eyes glittering even in the shade. "You are more than welcome."

Kagome felt tears sting her eyes, and she dropped her pack and threw her arms around Gaara, pressing her face into his neck and inhaling his warm, earthy scent. Gaara didn't miss a beat and pulled her close, squeezing her gently but wrapping her up in such a way she thought only InuYasha could do.

"If… if I can't… go home…" Kagome started, wiping her eyes.

"I'll be waiting for you," Gaara replied with a smile. "If you ever need me, I'll be here."

"…thank you, Gaara," Kagome repeated, feeling rather silly for having nothing else to say. Stretching up on her toes, Kagome gently grabbed either side of Gaara's face and pressed a gentle kiss to his tattoo.

"Stay safe, Kagome." He said, patting her head in a fond, almost brotherly manner. "Send word when you arrive in Konoha."

"I will." Kagome said, turning to look back at Temari and Kankuro, who were quietly watching her interaction with their brother with wide eyes and thinly-veiled interest. "Take care, you guys."

"Stay in touch!" Temari shouted back with a wave, and elbowed Kankuro who grumbled before doing the same.

"I will!" Kagome shouted back, slowly walking away, backwards. "I will!"

And with that, Kagome set out into the desert, hoping to reach the forest line by the next dawn.

-: One Week Ago :-

Naruto had read Kagome's diary from back to front twice. He had learned about the half demon named InuYasha, the monk named Miroku, the demon-slayer named Sango, and the little fox kit named Shippo that Kagome took care of like her own. He learned of the undead priestess named Kikyo, and the trysts that brought Kagome to tears. He learned of InuYasha's half brother Sesshomaru, who was a powerful, dangerous full demon. And he learned of Naraku, the bane of Kagome's existence and the reason that she had been through all that she had.

From what he had pieced together, Kagome was originally from a place called Tokyo, Japan. She had fallen (or jumped?) down a well -not unlike the one on Sasuke's property- and it had transported her back in time into what she called the Feudal Era, where she fought demons and searched for things she called _shards of the Shikon no Tama._ Kagome herself was not a demon or a ninja- rather, she was a powerful, albeit untrained priestess who was still coming into her powers. They could easily purify demons- especially sealed demons like the Kyuubi- and apparently could be manipulated into other tricks like barrier making.

The diary cut off before any mention of him or Konoha- so she hadn't written in it since she had mysteriously appeared in the forest almost a month ago. None of the entries were dated in times that he understood, so he had no idea how old the entry was. It also gave no clue as to where she was now- unless falling through the well had triggered a 'return home'.

Naruto glanced down at the shards that he wore around his neck, and spoke aloud to himself, trying to piece the puzzle together as he walked. He was in some civilian area- in Mizu no Kuni, he suspected- but had yet to come across anything. There were beautiful rolling hills, and the mixed noises drifted ever so faintly to his ears from a small nearby town.

"Kagome used a dry well to travel through time. Somehow- likely through a well, she arrived here, too. But in her diary, she wrote that she could only travel through her well using these," he commented, looking down at the small jar again.

The jar seemed to pulsate weakly for a moment in Naruto's grasp, and if Naruto hadn't known any better, he would have assumed that the little pieces of jewel in the jar were glowing a faint pink colour. Meanwhile, as he was walking the forest around him abruptly changed into a small clearing; and Naruto stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him.

There, sitting innocently in the middle of the clearing was a rustic looking, wooden well. Tall grasses grew around it, and the wood looked time-ridden and moldy. Inching closer to the structure, Naruto peered over the side, gingerly placing his hands on the weather-beaten wood.

The wood panels of the side continued far down the dark shaft of the well, and the sides were moldy and slimy with over growth and moss. Further down the wood was replaced with stone, though the bottom of the well seemed to have been partially filled- likely due to the erosion of soil with the season changes. The well was clearly abandoned, and hadn't seen attention in years.

Dirt and rocks had spilled into the well- some larger and more angular than others. It was around those that in his inspection of the well that Naruto noticed a large smear on the stones, and as his eyes followed the stain, it led him to a rather large, oblong pool of the same substance.

"Blood." Naruto bemoaned. "Kagome's blood. This well is probably just like the one that Kagome uses…"

Naruto paused a moment, staring at the bloodstain, and imagining Kagome's body, sprawled awkwardly as her blood leaked from gashes created by the rocks.

"Did the well on Sasuke's property lead Kagome here?" Naruto wondered aloud, pulling back from the well. Upset pooled in his stomach. Kagome couldn't have gotten far if she had lost so much blood- certainly not alone. That left only several possible solutions:

Maybe… the substance wasn't blood. But if it was, then it wasn't likely Kagome's… right? The well could have sent Kagome home… Or… Kagome had been found and looked after… Or… Kagome was dead.

"Apparently so," a voice; cool, calm and deadly, replied. "Where is Kagome?"

Naruto turned slowly, only to come face-to-face with Itachi, who was standing quite still on the tree-line of the clearing. Kisame, his partner, was standing wordlessly some ways behind, and had a strange look on his face. The blue ninja glanced over at his Itachi as Naruto watched, and Naruto wondered just what the ninja knew that he wasn't telling. Judging from the distance and the tension that was visible in Kisame- something had happened that left both ninja on the edge.

"I could be asking you the same thing, bastard!" Naruto then proceeded to shout, pointing an accusing finger towards the elder Uchiha. "What have you done with Kagome? Is she the one you're searching for? Are you the one who kidnapped her? How on earth did you _lose_ her? _Where is Kagome?_"

"Your questions are not even presented in logical order," Itachi pointed out. "I have no need to answer any of them. If you will not give me the answers I need, I will take them. Starting with _those._" Itachi said, glancing at the jar around Naruto's neck.

"Oh no you WON'T-" Naruto started, tense and prepared for Itachi. Kisame, who had yet to even utter a single word, seemed to meld into the darkness of the surrounding forest at the sight of impending battle.

Itachi's eyes were wild and red, the Sharingan already predicting Naruto's next path of action. However, as he stretched out his arm, kunai in hand, Naruto's form moved in a blur and Itachi felt his eyes shift out of focus- the pink shards in the jar around Naruto's neck protecting him from his chakra and Sharingan. Naruto swept out with an unfamiliar silver blade and parried his kunai, before grabbing his arm and swinging him away.

Even without the use of his Sharingan, however, Itachi was still an ex-ANBU, S-Class level missing nin. Naruto grunted as Itachi easily slipped out of his grasp and went for his neck, and Naruto, seeing Itachi's pale hand creep closer to his neck, reached out and twisted around the arm, grasping Itachi from behind and tipped them backwards into the well.

Naruto yelled out as he scraped his shoulder against the rock wall, but he noted with smug delight that Itachi's head made a satisfying _crack_ against the rock as well and drew a grunt of pain from the Uchiha. Before they landed and were possibly impaled on the rocks at the bottom of the well, however, a brilliant blue light began to form around them; overcoming gravity and making Naruto's eyes water.

For a moment, Naruto and Itachi were lost in a brilliant floating sensation, and Kagome's magical presence and power signature washed over them, before unceremoniously depositing them on hard, dirt-packed ground. The blue light around them faded slowly, giving way to dark, musky walls made of wood and stone. They were enclosed fairly tightly- but yet even so, the two of them still were almost an arms' length apart.

"Itachi!" Naruto yelled. "What have you done? Are we in the Tsukiyomi world, or-"

"Be silent." Itachi held up one hand, their earlier scuffle forgotten. Blood dribbled down his forehead and over his eye, and he looked all too menacing to disobey, but even so Naruto quieted obligingly and looked up. The sky was a brilliant blue and filled with large, puffy white clouds; different from the queasy grey sky that they had been under moments ago. It seemed they were still in a well- though it was clear that the well they were currently at the bottom of was not the well they had fallen into. Naruto wondered vaguely if this was the well on Sasuke's property.

"Itachi-"

Thundering footsteps were the only warning that someone was approaching the well from above before a voice yelled down, angry and rude.

"HEY! KAGOME? IS THAT YOU?"

A silver head of hair clad in vibrant red suddenly appeared amongst them, and white dog-ears twitched sporadically atop his head. The man sniffed the air for a moment before growling, and turned to Naruto, pinning him with a fierce, golden-eyed stare.

"Who are you, ya _bastard_, what have you done with _Kagome_, and how in the hell did you get your filthy hands on her _jewel shards?_"

**tbc.

* * *

**

**EDITED: 30/05/10**


	12. Discovering

**A/N:** So... Howdy... Hello there... *chirp chirp* I know it's been a while... well, maybe not for this particular story of mine, but for you readers who also read some of my other stories, well... you'll know that I haven't really been updating those much, either. I apologize. That's all I really have to say- other than I don't own the song "Never Knew I Needed" by Ne-Yo, which is used (and recommended to all you saps out there) later on in this chapter.

One important note, however! I have been undergoing some editing and re-writing, which you may or may not have noticed by the end of this chapter. I would like to let you know that this story **will not be updated until the 11 chapters that come before it have been edited and re-posted.** The reason for that is simply because I don't want to leave anything half-done, if you know what I mean. And since I'm so absent minded, it's likely to happen. One other very important change to be aware of... **during the editing process, Chapter Eleven Part 1 **and** Part 2 **will be **merged**, and the **note in between Chapter 2 and Chapter 3** will be **deleted**. As such, the reviews will be thrown all out of whack, depending on which chapter you have reviewed to. If you are so inclined to leave me a review that you are upset when it says you cannot, please feel free to PM me instead!

That is all.

* * *

**Piano Man**

**XII: Discovering**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

Kagome tripped her way through the underbrush with a grumble. The branches left raised welts along the bare skin of her thighs, because she had forgone the cloak she'd been given hours ago. She was sweaty and tired- and her limbs were aching in protest as she propelled herself towards (or what she thought was towards) Konoha.

As she moved through the forest, keeping tabs on the road somewhere to her right, Kagome hummed a little tune to herself. She didn't want to attract attention, as she likely would if any traveler crossed her path. A different face, a different outfit, a different dialect… all could single her out, and so she chose to keep to herself—never straying far from the road, but never breaching it.

Pausing a moment to clean her face and arms off with the edge of her cloak and some of her precious drinking water, Kagome decided to sit and rest, and to consult the map that Gaara had insisted she take.

"I can't be too far- I've been travelling in this direction for 3 _days._" Kagome folded her cloak back over her shoulders from where she'd balanced it like a scarf, letting it encompass her again, and took a swig from the bottle before replacing that too. "If a ninja could travel that last stretch so easily, than I should theoretically be back by now."

Kagome scowled to herself.

Gaara had explained rather patiently that the trip to Konoha wasn't the easiest of trips- in fact, it could be rather tedious, given the only path between them. He also went on to explain that the trip was usually made by ninja, and they tended to cut straight through the forests and desert that separated the villages, so it cut the time down distinctly. He'd given her a map and shown her how to mark herself against the land, and pointed out good rest places commonly used and hidden within the trees.

Kagome now figured herself to be in the final stretch; the final stretch that had her on her feet for almost 24 hours straight, with periodic stops to catch her breath and eat. Glancing at the map, Kagome felt satisfaction swirl in her gut as she realized she would probably only have to walk for another hour or so before she would see Konoha's gates on the horizon. Looking out between the trees and down the curving road, Kagome also realized that she could see the faint outcroppings of mountains stretching atop the tree line- the same mountains that the great Konoha monument was carved into.

Replacing her pack on her back, Kagome pulled herself to her feet and slipped deeper into the trees. As she began to walk, a shiver of dread rippled down her spine. Her miko ki flared to life against her will, curling lazily like a cat waking up from a pool of sunshine. Someone was coming towards her.

_It could just be a traveler on the road… it could just be a traveler on the road..._ Kagome whispered feverishly to herself. Despite her thoughts however, Kagome crossed the path with long strides before ducking into the trees on the other side. From the trees on the other side of the road, she glanced suspiciously behind her, and picked up her pace to a light jog.

No figure made itself known in the trees behind her, but the lingering feeling of being watched didn't fade. With a quiet curse, Kagome picked her pace up from a jog to a run. Konoha wasn't far away… she could make it. Hopefully, her energy signature would catch someone's attention just like it had caught Kankuro's attention when she approached Suna.

The figure- _No, _she realized with dread, _the figures_- behind her picked up their pace, and Kagome thought she heard something move in the trees above her. She could feel a distinct presence, but she couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. _No…no… not yet…_

Kagome flipped her cloak over her shoulders so her arms were free, tucking it into the straps of her bag so it would stay out of the way. Her now-free hands made their way towards the small pouch Temari had bought her, where the kunai blades Kisame had left her were tucked away. She flipped them out of the pouch, and grasped them firmly in her hands as she continued to run, ducking under low hanging branches and hopping over logs.

A figure was clearly in front of her now, and panicked, Kagome burst out of the trees and onto the path, breaking into a dead sprint.

"_Kagome._"

Kagome hesitated, stumbling to a stop. "Itachi?"

As Kagome slowed, Itachi seemed to materialize before her. Unsure of her self, Kagome took a step backwards.

"Kagome, why did you run away?" his voice was low and dangerous. Kagome shivered. Several other presences slowed to a stop in the trees around them, but didn't emerge from the shadows.

"I have to get _home,_ Itachi." Kagome said slowly, flexing her hands around the black blades. "I told you that."

"You can't," Itachi shook his head.

"You have no say in the matter," Kagome shook her head. "I have things to do. I can't just stop trying. I won't let you stop me."

Swallowing once to reassure herself, Kagome darted forwards, summoning her quickly diminishing ki to form a slight shield around herself. Itachi's eyes narrowed at her, and he took a step back as if to brace himself for impact, but when Kagome moved within striking distance, he disappeared in a flicker of motion.

"Kagome." Itachi spoke, reappearing at her side. Kagome slashed outwards with her wrist, and the blade bit into his cloak, but didn't meet skin.

"Why can't-" Itachi's words were cut off as Kagome lunged at him again. He was forced to bring a kunai out of his own cloak to meet her blade, and the clang of metal echoed eerily through the forest. At the sound of a physical confrontation, the figures just beyond the shadows moved into the light, and Kagome counted four other Itachi-figures, beside the one in front of her now.

Kagome used the stalemate to repel herself backwards from Itachi, and continued towards Konoha. Itachi– the five of them- followed her. Kagome knew he was faster than she was, but he matched her pace and didn't try to overtake her.

"Kagome…" his voice was so faint, Kagome wondered if she had just imagined it. Itachi abruptly stopped running, and Kagome skid to a stop, turning to face him.

"Itachi, thanks for all your help. There's more to you than meets the eye, really. But I can't go with you. I can't stay with you. I'm sorry." She apologized. Itachi stood still, scrutinizing something she couldn't see. He didn't approach, though, and feeling slightly safer, Kagome tucked the blades away, pushing as much of her remaining power as she could into the front of the barrier between them.

"I cannot go any further," Itachi said slowly. "If you go that way, I cannot help you."

"I don't need your help, Itachi!" Kagome felt her irritation rise. Why did everyone think she needed assistance? "I can do this by myself!"

"Kagome…" Itachi repeated her name for what seemed like the upteenth time, with an undechiperable look on his face. His form seemed to flicker as if he had begun to move but hesitated, but it solidified a moment later, and Kagome passed it off as a trick of the light.

Suddenly, his arm flicked out in a blur, and sent three shuriken whirling through the air towards her. Her barrier wasn't weak- and repelled two of the projectiles. However, she was exhausted from travel and one of them ripped through the barrier, impaling itself in her stomach.

Kagome grunted, falling to her knees.

"…why?" she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. Itachi looked at her emotionlessly, before glancing into the distance. He looked at her one more time before his eyes widened in curiosity, and he disappeared in an vague puff of smoke, the four silent figures disappearing one by one right after he did.

Gritting her teeth at the pain that was radiating from her side, Kagome picked up the other two shuriken and slid them into the pouch at her side. Ripping off her bandana, she took several shaky breaths before ripping the third shuriken out of her side, and screaming through her teeth.

The blood dribbled out of the cut, quickly soaking into the line of her shorts. She wadded up the bandana and pressed it to the side with a hiss, before turning back towards the town. Kagome bit the inside of her cheek in protest, but moved forward in a light jog. She needed to medical attention before she lost too much blood, and she didn't have the energy to take care of it herself.

-::-

Sasuke blinked up at the sun, distracted. He twirled a pencil in his hands idly, and several sheets of paper on the grass in front of him fluttered briefly on a light breeze. Words and sentences and chords fluttered through his mind, and sometimes he scribbled them down. In his other hand, he held blank sheet music, already half covered in lines and circles and notes.

Music writing wasn't something that came specifically easy to him, mind, but Sasuke had tried his hand at it before… years and years ago. He and his mother had spent more than one afternoon together at the piano, making silly songs together. His heart warmed at the thought, and Sasuke turned to look over his shoulder into the glass-walled room where the very same piano sat, shimmering in the sunlight.

When he found Kagome again, he wanted to sit down at that piano with her, and play her songs until she smiled- that brilliant smile that he saw whenever he closed his eyes. He'd play, and she'd play, and they'd sing together, and laugh together… Sasuke blushed. It was so uncharacteristic of him- but everything had simply become _easier_ since he'd acknowledged his developing attachment to the girl.

_But…_ Sasuke's logical mind kicked into gear.

_She's been gone for over a month. What if that means she's not coming back?_ The depression settled itself in his stomach, and Sasuke shoved the papers into his shorts pocket, his mood spoiled. He'd get nothing more accomplished in this frame of mind- and so he trudged back into his house.

He'd barely made it into his kitchen when a rapid pounding began on his front door. Sasuke grabbed a zippered sweater to pull on over his gardening tank top, and moved to answer the insistent knocking.

"Wh-"

"Sasuke, someone picked up a strange power a little ways East from the gates. Tsunade thinks it might be Kagome." Sakura breathed the words, Neji's fist still poised over the door. The three ninja stood there for a moment, staring at each other in silence, before Sasuke pushed his way past the two of them and sprinted towards the gates.

_Kagome, Kagome, Kagome, Kagome…. Kagomekagomekagome._

The name was a vicious chant in his head as he ran, speeding past disgruntled civilians and ninja alike as he moved towards the East gate. He quickly moved to the rooftops to avoid the people that couldn't seem to understand that he was in a rush- and he mentally cursed both them and the lazy construction workers that had made every rooftop a different height. The outer wall quickly loomed ahead of him, and without a thought, he filled his legs with chakra and cleared the wall in a single leap.

"Did he…" Neji looked startled at the Uchiha's amazing feat. Sakura, beside him, seemed equally as shocked. Tsunade, Kiba and Kakashi were still standing at the gates, waiting for the two to bring the boy to meet them, and they were staring equally in wonderment.

"I've never seen Sasuke like this, before…" Sakura shook her head, moving to meet up with her sensei and her mentor.

"There is obviously something happening that we don't know about," Neji shook his head with a secretive smile. He did, of course, have his suspicions… but only time would truly tell.

Tsunade turned when they finally made it to their sides, and she scowled.

"That boy was running like he had hell on his heels," she sniffed.

"I'm worried about Kagome," Sakura said immediately, by means of explanation. "She's been gone a while. Sasuke is worried too."

"Surely no more than the rest of us," Kakashi said wryly, but his face betrayed his words- with a Cheshire grin stretched wide across his face beneath his mask. He too knew his student well… and anticipation for the immediate future kept his smile firmly in place. Life was about to get more interesting.

"Enough dawdling!" Tsunade was shouting at the guards. "What do I pay you for? Open the goddamned door, already!"

Kiba, Sakura and Neji all shared a quiet laugh at their Hokage before moving to catch up with Kakashi, who was already strolling leisurely through the opening Gate.

-::-

_Kagomekagomekagome._

The chant never ended. Sasuke ran and jumped from tree branch to tree branch, his eyes bright with the Sharingan, searching for Kagome. Desperation made him speed up- and he nearly fell from the tree when he glimpsed something to his left and made a dangerously sharp turn.

"Kagome," he whispered.

Breaking from the treeline, Sasuke hit the packed earth of the ground hard as he moved towards the black-swathed figure standing in the middle of the road. As soon as he hit the ground, the person turned defensively to face him.

"…Sasuke…?" Kagome's voice was quiet, hoarse, and clearly pained. She was wearing a black travelling cloak, but her dark hair was pulled away from her face and her bright blue eyes glittered in the waning sunlight.

"Kagome," Sasuke heard his voice crack embarrassingly, but he didn't care- he closed the distance between her in a millisecond and pulled her as close as humanly possible, pressing his cheek into her head; taking comfort in her presence despite the fact that her body trembled against him.

She was sweaty, she was dirty, and she was obviously exhausted, but Kagome tentatively hugged him back, and let him hold her weight so she didn't have to stand by herself. The pain in her side was momentarily ignored as she pulled back to see his face, and she pulled her hair out of her eyes and off her neck.

"Where have you been?" Sasuke sounded so hurt and betrayed- but his eyes shone with thinly concealed relief and joy. He let her pull back from him, but he didn't let her go, instead settling for pulling her pack off her back and shouldering it, and letting both hands rest on her hips.

"I-" Kagome began, but winced when his hands brushed her wound.

Sasuke finally noticed that the hand she had brushed her hair away with was stained, and pulled back his own hand from her waist to find it stained with transfer as well. Without a word, he ripped the cloak off her shoulders, and threw it to the ground.

She was still wearing Naruto's orange jacket, but it was stained a murky colour. Her shorts showed off her long, tanned legs, and she was wearing a messily cropped shirt that also served to show off her abdomen; which coincidentally showed off a raw, irritated gash almost four inches long, which had slowly and steadily been leaking blood. Her shorts were stained down the side, and the redness trailed down her leg almost to her knee. After carefully pulling off Naruto's jacket, Sasuke could clearly see that she'd pressed some kind of cloth or rag in an attempt to stop the blood flow, but because it was near her hip, the motion of walking hadn't allowed the cut to clot.

"Who did this to you?" Sasuke hissed, his fury overwhelming any other thought, as he tentatively reached out to touch the puckered flesh. Kagome winced as his cold fingers brushed her overheated skin, and pulled away. Wordlessly, he pulled off his own sweater and tugged it over her shoulders. Between blood loss and exhaustion, it was just his luck that she was going to catch a fever.

"Sasuke, I ne-" Kagome began, fear making her voice shake. She knew that Sasuke had serious big-brother issues, but she didn't dare tell him it had been created by Itachi. Luckily she didn't have to, because another voice cut her off.

"Sasuke! Did you find Kagome?" Sakura called, moving towards them from around the corner of the path.

Sasuke looked up at his teammate, and at her small entourage. They didn't know Kagome had been wounded, of course, but why were they just walking? He'd practically _flown_ across town the second Kagome's name was out of Sakura's mouth.

_They obviously don't feel the same way about her,_ Sasuke's mind supplied. Without a second thought, Sasuke scooped Kagome up, ignoring her cry of pain and protest, and began to walk as quickly as he could towards them without jostling Kagome further.

They met half way, with mixed looks of surprise and worry. Kiba had realized first, apparently, catching the scent of blood before any were close enough to see it. Kagome shifted weakly in his arms, hiding her face away from the inquisitive, worried stares.

"Get her to the hospital," Tsunade barked, her face paling the second she caught sight of the blood that now stained his white tank and down Kagome's leg. The rest of her companions were grim and silent, and Sasuke wordlessly sped off, cradling Kagome as gently as he could without upsetting her side further. At some point on the way to the hospital, Kagome's head had lolled lifelessly to the side, signaling that she had finally passed out.

Sasuke did nothing but pick up his pace.

-::-

Kagome blinked groggily, moaning low in her throat. Her whole body felt stiff and sore from disuse, and a dull ache vaguely reminiscent of menstrual cramps radiated from her side.

_This is the second time in forever that I've woken up in a hospital,_ Kagome mused, taking in the white stucco ceiling with a comforting sense of déjà vu. The lightness of the white room stung her currently-sensitive eyes, and Kagome shut them again, inhaling deeply as the rest of her body woke up.

Slowly, she wiggled her fingers and toes, experimentally. She could feel every limb, so she pushed her arms up to her side, and slid herself backwards against the pillow. Kagome was surprised to find a slight resistance. Cracking her eyes open again, Kagome was met with a dark fan of hair spread out across the light grey of her blankets, and baffled at why she hadn't felt the weight before. She immediately recognized the hairstyle, however, even if the person's face was currently turned away from her.

"S'suke," she croaked, her throat and mouth dry from disuse. Swallowing, she tried again. "Sasuke,"

He must have been sleeping deeply, because he didn't stir.

"You're awake," a voice responded instead, catching Kagome again by surprise.

She looked up to see Neji slip into the room and shut the sliding door softly behind him. He made his way over to the unoccupied side of her bed, picking up some scattered papers from the bedside and floor along the way.

"Neji," Kagome smiled softly. "Do you think…?" her voice trailed off as she was forced to swallow again.

Obligingly, Neji lifted a glass of water to her mouth, and Kagome sipped from it slowly, licking her lips. When she was finished, Neji replaced it on the bedside table, and she smiled greatfully.

"Thanks," she said, her voice soft.

"Not at all," Neji said, with the barest incline of his head. "It's good that you've finally regained consciousness, because you were extremely exhausted and dehydrated on top of your sustained wound. Tsunade actually worried you'd slip into a coma."

"A coma?" Kagome was surprised. She knew she'd been more banged up recently than she had been in a while, but she'd never ever fallen into a coma before, even during her various skirmishes in the Sengoku Jidai.

"Go back to sleep," Neji said in answer, and brushed her hair out of eyes in a fond manner. "You're not ready to be awake now anyhow- there's nothing for you to do."

Against her will, Kagome felt her eyelids growing heavier with each passing minute. She _was_ exhausted, she realized. Her glance trailed to Sasuke, who was still asleep on her calf. Neji followed her glance, and smiled secretly to himself.

"He brought you here." He answered her silent question. "He hasn't left your side since you were admitted- you've been asleep for almost 48 hours, including your brief surgery to cleanse and close the wound in your side."

Kagome struggled to process Neji's words, her mind foggy and unfocused. Neji seemed to understand, because he gave a short laugh and simply repeated, "Go back to sleep."

After a brief, weak attempt to combat the fatigue, Kagome slipped back into a peaceful sleep, her breathing evening out. Neji watched her face slip into a simple, eased expression, before he rose from his seat.

Glancing down at the papers in his hand, Neji was surprised to recognize Sasuke's less-than-tidy scrawl, and it took a moment of dechipering before Neji realized with a start what he was holding in his hand.

"Music and lyrics," Neji commented aloud, disbelief clearly laced through his tone. He glanced over at Sasuke where he slept on, oblivious, and shuffled briefly through the pages he had collected.

Finding what appeared to be the master copy of the whole song, Neji hummed the song quietly to himself.

"_For the way you changed my plans -_

_For being the perfect distraction_

_For the way you took the idea that I have_

_Of everything that I wanted to have_

_And made me see there was something missing_

_And for the rare and unexpected friend-_

_For the way you're something that I never choose,_

_But at the same time something I don't wanna lose,_

_And never want to be without ever again-_"

Neji arranged the papers into a neat pile, placing them at Sasuke's side, careful not to disturb the Uchiha. It wouldn't do for him to be caught with something so personal, after all. Despite his honest intentions, however, Neji found himself humming the few bars of the song that Sasuke had written, the lyrics repeating themselves from memory in his mind.

He had to hand it to the dark-haired recluse –the song was _good._

-::-

"Jewel shards…" Itachi repeated, turning to look at Naruto with narrowed eyes.

"Hey, hey," Naruto put his hands up defensively. "I didn't know something like this was gonna happen, okay? I just knew that they had something to do with Kagome's random appearance."

"And so we find ourselves where Kagome appeared from in the first place," Itachi mused aloud. He glanced up at the silver-haired figure that was growling at them, and then once over to the blonde ninja beside him.

Blinking once to clear his eye of blood, Itachi gathered his chakra and lept from the well, sending the startled man reeling backwards. A moment later, Naruto followed with less grace; hurtling upwards, having put too much force into his jump.

"Woah!" Naruto shouted, landing in a crouch. "Is it just me, or is my chakra all out of whack?"

Itachi glanced at his unwilling companion. Several possibilities ran through his mind, but a telltale motion at the corner of his eye had him substituting himself with a clone and several feet away.

The man in red had charged him, hands out, and slashed his clone apart in a millisecond. Naruto immediately distanced himself from him, but wisely moved away from Itachi as well.

"Don't ignore me!" the man yelled, his golden eyes flashing. Itachi scrutinized him carefully- noting the animal ears on his head, and the clawed fingers on his hands. He had moved faster than Itachi previously suspected- and there was a sword at his waist that hadn't left its sheath yet. Not a threat to be taken lightly.

Making a decision, Itachi quickly made another substituion with another clone, and watched safely from the treeline, hidden in shadow. Naruto recognized the simple trick and glanced his way briefly, but turned as the red-clad man howled.

"Are you some new Naraku-spawn?" InuYasha hissed, pointing at the Itachi-clone, whose red eyes were narrowed dangerously at him.

Naruto felt the situation slowly slipping out of his grasp, and stepped forwards before Itachi attacked.

"You're InuYasha, right?" he said loudly enough to attract the man's attention. "Kagome… err… told me about you."

Surely enough, the dog ears swiveled towards him, and slowly, InuYasha turned to face him, his teeth bared.

"And I already asked ya, how d'you know Kagome? Where _is_ she?" InuYasha demanded.

"He isn't part of Naraku," Naruto continued, keeping his hands up and part of his attention on the real Itachi, who still lingered in the shadows of the afternoon. "He's with me. We're from another… somewhere else."

Naruto wasn't sure what to call it, really, because from what he had gathered from Kagome's diary, neither of the two places she traveled were in a different _world_… they were just different times. He didn't recognize anything about either one, however, which led to questions he just couldn't answer.

"We found Kagome in the forest and took care of her until she fell down a well," Naruto said. "She went missing, and we've been looking for her, but we haven't been able to find her."

InuYasha's hand rested on the sword at his side, the other one curling into a fist at his hip. "So you found her and then _lost_ her? You _useless_ little _twerp_."

"OI!" Naruto snapped. "You're the one that lost her first, fuckface. And if she fell down a well, shouldn't she be back here, or something? Since she uses wells to travel?"

InuYasha bristled for a moment, but slowly the anger drained from his face, leaving only guilt. He moved his hand from Tetsusaiga's hilt, and shook his head slightly, as if to clear his mind.

"Come on," he grumbled. "I'll take you to see Baa-chan, and she can fill you in while I round everybody up."

Naruto moved to follow InuYasha as he turned and walked, but hesitated in his step as InuYasha growled suddenly, and bound forward, beheading the Itachi-clone in a single swipe. The clone slumped to the ground before disappearing in a plume of smoke.

"And don't think you fooled me for a second, you _bastard_." InuYasha snarled at Itachi's silhouetted figure in the trees. "I'm not as stupid as you'd think."

**tbc.**


	13. The Twilight Zone

**A/N:** ALL RIGHT!

Everything has been officially edited. I am SO HAPPY. I feel so accomplished. And you'll also be pleased to know that in the meantime, I've got two (possibly more) more chapters actually written and ready for posting. The response to this chapter will definitely dictate when the next chapter will be out, so please bear that in mind! And of course, I'd love to hear what you guys think, so don't hesitate to leave me a review, no matter how brief or silly!

* * *

**Piano Man**

**XIII: The Twilight Zone**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

"There ye are, InuYasha! Always in a hurry and leaving a poor, old woman hanging, whe-" Kaede's scolding trailed off when she caught sight of the Naruto, who was trailing behind InuYasha, curiously glancing to and fro.

"InuYasha…?" Kaede squinted at Naruto's bright shock of hair.

"Hey, Baa-chan," InuYasha greeted with a subdued wave. "This guy's from where Kagome disappeared off to. Where're Sango and Miroku? And the runt?" he added as an afterthought.

"At the West End," Kaede gestured. "They are investigating something that set some of the farmers on edge. What, is still uncertain."

"I'm gonna get them. Keep an eye on these two 'till I'm back, Baa-chan." InuYasha half-demanded, before hopping up onto her roof and leaping away.

"Ah," Naruto looked at the old woman. He scratched his head sheepishly. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"Uzumaki-san," Kaede bobbed her head. Blinking slowly, she focused on Itachi's form where it was hidden in the shadows some feet away.

Naruto was surprised, especially since the old woman only appeared to have the use of one eye, that she could find Itachi. Then again, he wasn't hiding his presence at all; but this Kaede-baa-chan certainly was more than met the eye.

"That's Uchiha Itachi. He's a little anti-social, sorry." Naruto gave her a formal bow in apology, feeling stiff and uncertain.

"Aye," Kaede gave Itachi an almost withering look, but turned away and gave him a very grandmotherly smile. "I am Kaede, the priestess of the village. Please, come inside until InuYasha returns."

Naruto obligingly followed Kaede into her small cabin-hut, holding the reed door aside for Itachi. The other ninja, however, simply materialized in the hut, seating himself formally in the corner, seiza-style without a word.

Scoffing, Naruto glanced once at the real Itachi, who glanced at him once with Sharingan-enhanced eyes before melting back into the shadows. Shrugging, Naruto sat himself cross-legged in front of a small fire pit, careful to face both the doorway and Itachi. Kaede had disappeared, but she reappeared a moment later, shuffling with a clay pot of what smelled like tea.

Wordlessly she set about preparing five mugs, and Naruto wondered whom they all were for. He didn't have a chance to question it aloud though, because Kaede spoke again as she seated herself across from him after setting the pot in the fire.

"So, child, you have been in contact with young Kagome?" Kaede asked, her visible eye glittering as it stared at him over the open flame.

Naruto nodded affirmative. "We found her in the forest outside our village, and we'd been taking care of her up until she disappeared again."

"Aye," Kaede nodded gravely, adjusting the fire with a slender stick. "Perhaps ye should share once everyone arrives."

"Everyone…?" Naruto began, glancing at the five mugs again, before glancing at the door. He heard shouting, and had very little time to react when a small bundle of fur barreled right into his chest.

"Shippo, that's not what I—" InuYasha was yelling, and he stormed into the hut in time to see Naruto completely roll backwards right over his shoulder from the force of Shippo's collision.

Instinctually, Naruto cradled the thing that had sent him rushing backwards protectively, controlling his roll so that when he got his feet under him, he was balanced carefully on his knees and toes. Confused, he glanced down to see a shock of red hair and a furry crème fluffy… thing… wriggling with barely-constrained emotions.

"Kagome! I can smell her- ooh, but you're not Kagome! You've got her scent on her- it's from her stuff! It's InuYasha's dagger! Well, the dagger that he got Kagome 'cause he's got a crush on her- but, why do you have it? Where's Kagome? Is she with you? Who are _you?_ How do you know Kagome? Do you know where she is?" the thing in his arms chirped rapidly, tugging at him with little hands and twitching its tail- _Oh wow, it has a real _tail_,_ Naruto thought- and staring up at him with shockingly green eyes.

"Shippo, you little brat-" InuYasha started, but Kaede grabbed his pant leg as he began approaching menacingly and knocked him to the ground, face-first.

Shippo, as Naruto guessed was the little… boy… in his arms, stared up at him, studying him carefully, his prior exuberance seemingly dimmed. His green eyes were bright and mischevious, but they also stared at him searchingly, his nose wiggling as he _sniffed_ him.

"You…" Shippo was quiet, contemplative. "You smell like a demon."

Naruto tensed, his shoulders unnoticeably stiffening as he clenched his jaw tightly together. Itachi-clone was still sitting in the corner, but it was watching his interaction carefully. He felt a little hand patting his cheek carefully, and Naruto looked back to Shippo, who was now presenting him with a toothy grin.

"I'm a fox too," he said, by means of explanation, hopping away and posing, showing off his ears and tail and little feet.

Too shocked to speak, Naruto stared at the little boy as he stared up at him adoringly, babbling about foxes and demons and special fire- Naruto's stomach churned nervously, but his mind was moving a mile a minute, slowly putting tidbits of information together in a way he had never thought he was capable of.

_Foxes… demons… this little guy is a fox demon, like Kyuubi! He can _smell_ me?_ Naruto was amazed. _I wonder if he can turn into a fox, or something? Or maybe, if he looks anything like the Kyuubi does… or did? This must be why Kagome wasn't afraid of me…_

Naruto thought back to her journal entries that he was ashamed to admit he had read (more than once). Kagome had mentioned InuYasha… that he was a half-demon, of some kind. And Shippo, and a third demon cat… _Kirara,_ his mind supplied. Naruto looked away from Shippo to where InuYasha was sitting against the wall, grumbling. His ears – Naruto didn't doubt that's what they were, now – were twitching in an almost irritated manner.

"InuYasha! Shippo!" a male voice called, and Naruto looked to the door in time to see a tall male in purple robes enter the hut, a golden staff in hand. Behind him, one of the prettiest women Naruto had ever seen followed, a small cat on her shoulder and a massive boomerang strapped to her back.

Naruto immediately recognized them from Kagome's diary as well; Miroku, the lecherous priest, and Sango, the deadly demon slayer. Despite himself, Naruto gulped nervously.

Shippo turned to greet the newcomers, immediately jumping to Sango, babbling to her just as he had been to him a moment ago. Still too shocked to speak, Naruto wordlessly accepted a mug of tea from Kaede as everyone settled themselves on the floor around the fire; InuYasha against the wall, and Itachi in his corner.

"So," Kaede began, glancing slowly around the fire at all the faces. "Introductions to begin," she suggested.

"Right," Miroku nodded. "My name is Miroku. I am a humble priest, one of Lady Kagome's travelling companions." He nodded, seemingly satisfied with something. Naruto was caught off guard as the woman beside him abruptly punched him in the face.

"Humble my ass," Sango hissed, glaring at the man who had a blissful smile across his face despite the growing bump on his head.

"What a lovely-" Miroku was cut off as Sango smacked him again.

"That's Miroku the _lecher_," Sango jerked her thumb at the dazed priest. "I'm Sango… I've been trained in the arts of demon slaying. I too, travel with Kagome-chan. You've already been introduced to InuYasha and Kaede… and apparently Shippo," she paused, glancing at the small demon, who was staring adoringly at Naruto.

"This is Kirara," Sango added, gesturing to the small cat in her lap and scratching her head fondly. "She's my partner."

Naruto nodded, again giving those assembled a stiff bow. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, ninja of Konohagakure. Over there is Uchiha Itachi… he's also a ninja, but it's a little different." Naruto chuckled nervously.

"So, Naruto-san…" Sango began, staring at him curiously. "InuYasha said you know where Kagome-chan is?"

"Well, sorta," Naruto rubbed his nose absent-mindedly.

"Start at the beginning," Kaede suggested, garnering nods from the rest of Kagome's friends.

"Well, I was on a mission when this water came out of nowhere and tore through the forest," Naruto wrinkled his nose as he thought back. "When we went to investigate it, we found Kagome. We learned she had… well, fallen from the sky."

"_Ohhh!_" Shippo screeched. "Did Kagome get hurt? Is she okay?"

"Well, Itachi's partner broke her fall, apparently," Naruto grinned suddenly at the memory. "Anyways, after some introductions, we decided to bring Kagome back to our village for questioning and because, well, she didn't have anywhere else to go, really."

"Questioning?" InuYasha snapped. "Did you treat her like some kind of _hostage_, or somethin'? If I find out you did anything to her, you stupid shit, I'll kill ya."

"InuYasha, Be calm," Kaede said sharply, glancing at the riled man once before returning her attention to Naruto. Taking it as a sign to continue, Naruto did.

"So we took her to Tsunade-baa-chan, the leader of our village, and she assigned my teammate Sasuke to look after her."

"Sasuke? Who is _Sasuke_, and where the fuck is he?" InuYasha snapped. "Was it his job to look after her- so where's Kagome how, huh?"

"_InuYasha!_" Kaede's voice snapped through the air like a whip. "I will not remind ye to mind that tongue once more!"

InuYasha glared at the woman openly, but crossed his arms with a snort and shut up. Itachi seemed to take this in stride, continuing to observe from his corner as he sipped appreciatively at the tea Kaede had set before him. With a mental scoff at the Uchiha's passive action, Naruto continued.

"Anyways, something happened and Kagome just disappeared. She was out in the garden, and she disappeared down the well. That was just about a month ago," Naruto trailed off. "I've been looking for her ever since. I learned at since she used the well for transportation, maybe she was returned to her rightful place. I didn't know that I could fall down a well and be transported here, though."

"Lady Kagome hasn't returned, to any of our knowledge," Miroku spoke up, still rubbing gingerly at his head. "All we know is that a curse was placed upon the well to change the destination of the portal."

"Well, we know it took her to… me." Naruto finished lamely. "So if she didn't fall down and turn up here, then where could she be?"

"Is it possible that Kagome-chan is with her mother and brother?" Sango mused, turning to InuYasha. The half-demon shook his head.

"Nah. If she's really been missin' for a month, then I've been to see Mother Higurashi since then, and she wasn't there the last time." InuYasha determined. "I got no idea where the hell it took her this time."

A thought occurred to Naruto, and he nearly spilled his tea in his rush to put his mug down.

"Oh, but Kagome fell down a well on Sasuke-teme's property," Naruto said, "And then I found evience of someone in this other well near Takigakure, which means she didn't leave… my place. World." Naruto finished lamely again. "It was the same well we fell down before we ended up here."

"So that must mean she's still in your world?" Shippo beamed. "Do you know where she is?"

"No." Naruto shook his head. "There were signs, but they were old. Almost a month old, actually."

"So she really could be anywhere," Sango murmered sadly. Kirara _mewed_, glancing up at her mistress with bright red eyes.

"Kagome's a fighter," InuYasha said suddenly, angrily. "She's gonna be okay. She's gonna find her way back to me."

InuYasha stormed abruptly out of the hut. Everyone watched him go, and Naruto wondered why no one bothered to correct him when he said 'me' and not 'us'.

"InuYasha feels guilty," Miroku said in explanation. "There is an evil half-demon named Naraku… he pulled a trick on Kagome and InuYasha, and meddled with the well to separate them. Normally, InuYasha would have been able to spot the trick, but…"

"It's okay," Naruto put his hand up. "I already know this Naraku guy is a total bastard. But if we managed to get here somehow, that's gotta mean that Kagome can get back too."

"Good point," Sango nodded absently.

"Naruto-san, might I ask? Do you have a small jar on your person… with… small, pink shards?"

"Oh," Naruto fumbled through his pouch for a moment. "You mean this," he held out Kagome's small bottle after he pulled it from its hiding place.

"We believe that her connection to the jewel is what allows Lady Kagome to travel through the well," Miroku explained. "It may also explain why you were able to pass through. However, only Kagome and InuYasha have been able to travel through the well, and that was with or without shards."

"That guy has never been in my world," Naruto shook his head, staring at the doorway InuYasha had disappeared out of.

"No, I do not believe that he could," Miroku shook his head. "The same as we cannot visit Lady Kagome's world. There is a connection between Lady Kagome and InuYasha and the Jewel that is not the same as any of ours. Also, the curse was a one way, one time magical tear."

"Then we're stuck here?" Naruto glanced at Itachi-clone, who was now listening attentively.

"Again, no." Miroku amended. "I believe that just like Lady Kagome and InuYasha's connection, you and Itachi-san also share a close connection with Lady Kagome. Compounded by the Jewel, I believe it called upon its own connection to the well as transportation, and thus you were delivered here."

"I see," Naruto said, but he really didn't. "So if we just jump in the well, we'll be able to go back?"

"I doubt it is that simple." Kaede finally spoke. "But there may be something that can be done. Miroku, if you would accompany me to the well, the assistance would be appreciated."

"Of course, Lady Kaede," Miroku rose to his feet. Deep in thought, Sango rose to follow, leaving Naruto, Shippo, Kirara and Itachi sitting in the hut by themselves.

"Hey, come on!" Shippo bounced to his feet. "I have an idea. I bet InuYasha'll know… Let's go get him!"

The exuberant boy dashed out of the door without a glance back, and Itachi slowly rose to his feel, glancing wordlessly at Naruto before stepping out into the sunshine. Kirara watched him curiously before trotting after him, leaving Naruto sitting by himself by a dwindling fire.

"This is so fucked up," Naruto groaned, running his hand exasperatedly through his hair. He looked around the empty cabin, taking in its contents slowly. Nothing seemed to catch his attention until he came across an insanely large yellow pack.

Curious, Naruto climbed to his feet, moving towards the strange bag. Flipping open the top, a floral scent wafted against his face. _Mmn, it smells like Kagome too. This must be her bag,_ Naruto thought.

Peering inside it, Naruto hesitated a moment as he was reminded of the strange things he'd found the last time he snooped through one of Kagome's bags. With an embarrassed grin, Naruto peeked inside again, surprised to see several dozen books, barely a centimeter thick, piled right at the top of her bag.

Flipping the top one open, Naruto thumbed through the pages. Instead of paragraphs and sentences, Naruto was surprised to find diagrams and circular markings, all lined up along several thin, horizontal lines.

_This is music!_ Naruto was surprised he remembered. _I bet Kagome can play all these! Man, I wish she could show me!_

A plan quickly formulated itself in his mind, and Naruto quickly set to rummaging through his pouch for a small summoning scroll. Several handsigns and messy kanji later, Naruto had sealed almost half of Kagome's bag away.

"I'll bet she'll love having this stuff," Naruto smiled. "The second I find her I'll show it to her and she'll be so happy,"

"Hey Naruto!" Shippo called, his voice somewhere outside the cabin. "Where are youuu?"

Hastily shoving the summoning scroll away, Naruto headed out and towards the young fox-boy's voice.

-::-

"So Naruto," Shippo was literally bouncing. He had transformed into a big, pink… ball. And was bouncing.

_Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought._

"Can you do any cool tricks like that?" Shippo transformed back into himself with a _pop_. He walked along beside Naruto as he led him to where the half demon was supposedly sulking.

"Well, I'm no good at transforming," Naruto said sheepishly. "I mean, there's only one henge that I do… and well, I don't think it's quite appropriate."

"Henge?" Shippo wrinkled his nose. "Don't you use fox magic?"

"Err…" Naruto paused, completely unsure as to how to field the little kid's questions.

"No," he decided on the truth. "I use chakra."

"Cha-kra?" Shippo drew out the syllables. "What's that?"

"It's a special power than ninja's have," Naruto said by means of _lame_ explanation. "We use it for all our jutsu."

"Jut-su?"

"Tricks," Naruto amended quickly.

"Oh." Shippo seemed to understand. "Like what kind of stuff can you do?"

"Well," Naruto pondered, glancing around the small path they were travelling along. They had marched straight into the forest- Shippo seemed to know where he was going, even though Naruto hadn't the foggiest idea. Sometimes the wind blew through the trees, bringing with it the faint sounds and smells of the village, but otherwise, Naruto was certain he'd get lost on his own.

"I can do this," several Naruto's popped into existence, repeating the sentence all simultaneously. Shippo tripped, startled, but glanced around at the dozens of Narutos in complete awe.

"That is SO COOL!" he crowed. "How many can you make?"

"As many as I want," Naruto shrugged, dispersing the clones. "I have a lot of chakra. People who don't have as much as I do can't make as many. Sometimes, they can't even use that technique at all."

"Wow," Shippo was starry eyed.

"I can also use my chakra to do this," Naruto grinned deviously, turning to the nearest tree and marching straight up it.

"OH _WOW_!" Shippo shouted, pointing at Naruto who was walking up the tree with his hands at the back of his neck. "You're not using your hands or nothing!"

"Yup," Naruto chuckled. "I can walk up walls and trees and all sorts of stuff… I can even walk on the ceiling, or on water too with this technique."

"Can I learn!" Shippo scrambled up the tree after him, perching on the branch Naruto was now standing upside down from.

"I don't think so," Naruto scratched his head uneasily. "You don't have the same power as me."

"But we're both _foxes_!" Shippo wailed in dismay. "How come I can't do it too?"

Naruto dropped to the ground, waiting for Shippo to clamber back down. When the little fox did so, albeit with a pout, they continued onwards.

"Hey Shippo," Naruto asked, completely ignoring the little boy's last question. "How did you know I hav- was a fox?"

"I can smell it," Shippo shrugged, glancing at Naruto curiously. "Can't you smell it on me?"

Naruto looked at the little boy in confusion for a moment, remembering back to when he had been _sniffed_ earlier. Leaning down, Naruto inhaled deeply about a foot away from Shippo's head. Immediately, the smells of the forest filled his lungs; the wind, the earth, the leaves… Naruto could smell the rice paddies of the village too- and a wild scent- similar to a cat, similar to a dog…

_Is that what foxes smell like?_ Naruto was floored. _How come I can _smell_ all these things?_

"Hey Shippo," Naruto continued. "Can you smell and hear the village and stuff?"

"Yeah, of course," Shippo frowned at Naruto and turned to keep walking. "That's how come I don't get lost. We're not actually that far away, but humans get lost in this forest real easy."

"Shippo," Naruto paused. "I'm a human."

Shippo turned to look at Naruto, a little eyebrow raised, before bursting into laughter.

"_Hahahaha!_ You're no more human than I am, right Naruto? That was a bad joke- even I can tell you're a fox, and my senses haven't fully developed yet! If you were trying to hide it, or something, then you're doing a really bad job!"

Naruto watched as the little boy continue forwards, laughing and talking to himself. Why was the Kyuubi's influence so strong? Or was it just because Shippo was a demon? Could demons sense other demons? Naruto followed after Shippo, his mind a whirl of action. _If that was true, then why can't I sense other demons_?

A moment later, the answer occurred to him_. Because I'm not actually a demon… I'm just a _host.

"Kagome's world is so weird," Naruto said aloud, winding his hands at his neck again as he continued to walk after Shippo in search of InuYasha. The little boy in front of him just glanced at him curiously, and laughed again.

-::-

Itachi watched this interaction curiously, safely hidden in the trees. He'd known the Uzumaki boy was the host for the Ninetails—he had been an ANBU captain, after all. Even so, listening to the strange conversation Naruto was making, Itachi wondered whether or not the Kyuubi's presence was beginning to emerge, being so surrounded by other demons.

He had already gathered that demons roamed the area freely here, and he realized that it explained Kagome's fighting ability. Her strange ki, that was able to make barriers, was a good defensive tool if a superior (whether it was speed or strength) creature tried to attack her. It also explained why it was so strong.

_There is a strain on my chakra here,_ Itachi mused, hopping down from the branch he'd been hanging from. _It feels as if it's unnatural for me to use it, though I've done so all my life. Yet Naruto does not feel the same pressure… Is it because of the demon? Or simply because Naruto has such large reserves?_ Itachi frowned to himself, puzzled.

_I should investigate further._

Itachi turned to follow the path, where the boys had disappeared, and nearly tripped over a small cat. Glancing down, Itachi found himself staring into inquisitive red eyes. The little crème coloured cat stared up at him, it's black ears twitching from time to time.

"_Mew?"_ The cat seemed to ask, its two tails twitching restlessly.

Itachi stepped around it, determined to ignore it, when it meowed again.

"_Mew?_"

Itachi turned and looked at the cat, only to find it missing. There was a light touch to his foot, and Itachi looked down at his feet to see the cat – Kirara, he remembered – twining around his legs. After a moment of deliberation, Itachi stepped away from her, but bent down to pat it. Kirara purred, pleased, and hopped lightly onto Itachi's shoulder.

Startled, Itachi half-raised a hand to balance the cat, only to find that it seemingly took care of itself. With a faint smile, Itachi continued at a leisurely pace after Naruto and Shippo, the little cat on his shoulder purring quietly in his ear.

-::-

"InuYasha!" Shippo shouted, bounding towards a particularly large tree. The roots were partially above ground, winding around and around each other, making a strange-looking nest at the base of the tree. High in its boughs, Naruto caught a glimpse of bright red.

"Whattya want, runt," InuYasha snapped down, poking his head out of the leaves.

"Naruto has some questions!" Shippo answered, and Naruto glared at the small boy accusingly.

"_What?_" InuYasha grumped, dropping to his feet with a _thud_.

"Oh, I, er-"

"Spit it out!" InuYasha snapped. "I don't got all day!"

"Why's Naruto different from me?" Shippo piped up from his seat on one of the larger roots.

"He ain't," InuYasha said, giving Naruto the once-over, and looking away with a snort. "He's just a bit bigger, maybe."

"No, no!" Shippo shook his head. "He's a fox, right?"

InuYasha sniffed several times in Naruto's direction. "Yeah,"

"Well why can't I do what he can do?" Shippo crossed his arms.

"What can you do?" InuYasha narrowed his eyes at Naruto.

"Now just a second," Naruto put his hands up. "I-"

"He can walk up trees!" Shippo cut him off. "Without his hands! And he can _copy_ himself!"

"What kind of demon can copy himself?" InuYasha looked curious and accusing all at once.

"It's a jutsu!" Naruto snapped. "It's a _ninja ability!_ You guys don't have chakra, so of course you can't do it!"

"Show me," InuYasha simply demanded, crossing his arms and taking a seat next to Shippo's root.

"But I-"

"Come on Naruto," Shippo smiled at him disarmingly. "Pleeeease?"

Naruto scowled at the tricky little boy, but put his hands together and complied. A moment later, two clones stood on either side of him, staring at the two demons with identical frowns.

"_Woah,_" Shippo laughed again. "See? Isn't it cool, InuYasha?"

"Do all demons in your world have _chakra_?" InuYasha asked instead, closing his eyes, deep in thought.

"Well-" Naruto wondered how to answer the question. _Truth again, I suppose._ "There are only nine demons in my world. I've got the ninth one trapped inside of me."

"Trapped?" Shippo was alarmed. InuYasha was curious, but seemingly nonplussed.

"Whattya mean, trapped?"

Naruto felt his irritation building up, but sighed, and plopped onto the ground across from Kagome's friends.

"The demons in my world are dangerous, and they attack villages and destroy people. To protect ourselves, powerful ninja can seal demons away. The fourth leader of my village sealed the Kyuubi no Kitsune into me when it attacked our village."

"So you're not a demon?" Shippo was disappointed. InuYasha, however, was running along a different train of thought.

"So you're the strongest demon in your world?" he chuckled, jumping to his feet. "Fight me!"

"I'm _not a demon_!" Naruto snapped, climbing back to his feet. "I'm just a ninja!"

"Oi," InuYasha said, wrinkling his nose. "You're not in ninja-land anymore. This here is where the _demons_ are. So use your demon powers already, and fight me!"

Naruto paused before he could open his mouth, thinking that sentence over. _So the Kyuubi's power is stronger here? Is that why I've felt so _strong_ since falling through the well?_

"Come on, Naruto," Shippo chanted. "InuYasha won't even use Tetsusaiga."

"The hell I won't, runt!" InuYasha snapped, kicking at Shippo, who dodged in turn.

"Fighting may not be the best idea, Naruto," Itachi materialized out of the forest. There was a cat perched on his shoulder, but Naruto recognized her as Kirara. Before he had a chance to ask, InuYasha spoke up.

"Hey, you're a ninja too, right? But you ain't a demon- I can't smell anything other than human on you,"

Itachi turned his cold gaze towards InuYasha, who stiffened a moment, before glaring back.

"Bastard," he simply said, before turning back to Naruto. "Are you gonna listen to him?"

"Chakra does not work the same way here," Itachi said, talking over InuYasha and directly to Naruto. "Besides, conserving your energy is key if we are to travel back."

"Aww, give it a rest," InuYasha snapped, drawing Tetsusaiga from its sheath. "I won't even use my sword."

To demonstrate, he stabbed it into the ground by the base of the tree. "Just a little one-on-one," he said, cracking his knuckles.

"Taijutsu," Naruto nodded in understanding, looking towards Itachi, who was now standing on the other side of the clearing, clearly paying attention but not getting involved.

"All right!" InuYasha lept towards Naruto, who dodged just barely as InuYasha's claws went smashing into the ground. "I got this!"

Naruto quickly replied with his favourite hard-hitting combo, a direct attack to the upper torso that actually hid an attack from the rear; distraction courtesy of a clone. Naruto had substituted out of view a moment prior, when InuYasha had slammed into the ground. Now, while InuYasha was distracted with a clone, Naruto came up from behind.

"Not so fast!" InuYasha shouted, grasping Naruto's clone by an arm, and swinging it around right into the real Naruto.

"It may smell like you, fox-boy, but I can tell something's up when there's more than one of you-!" InuYasha called, watching as Naruto went tumbling backwards, his clone disappearing with a puff of smoke.

"All right, so I'll have to step this up, then?" Naruto pulled himself to his feet, spitting out blood from where he bit his cheek.

With a grin befitting a demon, Naruto lunged forwards, racing towards InuYasha with speed he didn't know he had. _It must be the Kyuubi's influence,_ Naruto smiled to himself. One animalistic cry later, Naruto had full-on tackled InuYasha, and they were rolling on the ground. InuYasha snarled, flipping Naruto over and kicking at his stomach.

"Oi, that's more like it!" InuYasha shouted, ducking under Naruto's second lunge. "Now you're fighting like a real demon!"

"A real half-breed, perhaps," a chilling voice spoke, startling the occupants surrounding the Goshinboku. "But not a demon."

Shippo trembled, ducking under the roots of the tree wordlessly, careful to watch the proceedings from a safe vantage point. Itachi turned to look as an ethereal being, dressed in white, emerged from the forest several feet away.

_How did I not sense him approaching?_ Itachi was surprised. It wasn't every day, after all, that anyone – or anything – could sneak up on Itachi Uchiha.

"Sesshomaru!" InuYasha snarled, turning to face his brother with his teeth bared and his claws poised.

"Tell me InuYasha," Sesshomaru drawled coldly, his hand resting on Tokijin at his side. "Where do you continuously find these worthless companions? I would say that a demon would be a step up…"

Sesshomaru paused, glancing Naruto over in an inspectoral manner. "But to call that a demon is an insult to my kind."

"I'm _not a demon!"_ Naruto shouted. "I'm a _ninja_, goddamnit! And what would you know anyhow? You're just some two-bit girl-faced idiot that talks trash."

Sesshomaru's icy eyes narrowed further at the obnoxious fox-boy, surprised at his audacity.

"Do you know who I am, _boy?_" Sesshomaru's voice was dangerously low, the timber almost more growl than word.

"I don't _give_ a _shit._" Naruto snapped. "I hate stuck-up bastards who walk around like they own the whole goddamned world! Whether you're human or not, asshole."

"You and me will get along just fine, I think," InuYasha clapped Naruto on the shoulder. "This is my half-brother, Sesshomaru. Unlike me, he's all demon and no heart. Sometimes I wonder if he even has a soul," InuYasha stage-whispered to Naruto.

With a frustrated rumbling growl, Sesshomaru's eyes slowly began to bleed red. Naruto glared right back, refusing to look away.

"Well then, at least he's not at a _complete_ disadvantage!" Naruto growled, feeling the Kyuubi's power pulse through his body as he lunged towards the imposing white figure.

His eyesight sharpened, honing in on the demon. The Kyuubi's chakra seemed to slowly begin to leak from the surface of his skin, turning him into a streak of red as he sprinted across the clearing. With a ferocious roar, Naruto propelled himself off the ground and through the air, his hands outstretched and his fingers tipped with dangerous claws.

Sesshomaru had not seemed to expect such a rapid approach but all he did was move out of the way, sending Naruto skidding across the ground. Naruto grinned to himself, expecting his first lunge to miss. This guy seemed to be a well-seasoned warrior, at the very least… even if he did seem to rise to taunts too easily.

_Unless he came looking for a fight._ Naruto thought. _But it's a fight he's gonna get, either way._

Having never faced another demon in battle, Naruto was unsure what exactly he was up against in terms of sheer power and ability. InuYasha could move as fast as his fellow ninja, if not faster- and he packed a punch that would definitely give Sakura a run for her money on a good day. And InuYasha was only a half demon.

_I'll just have to assume that he's faster _and_ stronger than I am._ Naruto theorized. _But if there's one advantage I have that he doesn't, it's chakra._

With a second roar, Naruto lept at Sesshomaru again, though this time propelling himself higher in to the air. He focused his chakra quickly, creating over two-dozen clones and leaping downwards all at once- attacking from every side. Sesshomaru simply cracked his knuckles; he didn't move.

Naruto substituted himself away from the front line of fire, curious to see what would happen. With a clone beside him, Naruto began powering up for a Rasengan when an acidic scent reached his nose. _What on earth…?_

With a mighty explosion and a flash of light, the first and second lines of clones disappeared as a bright whip of light smacked into them. Sesshomaru came out of his spin, the brilliant whip disappearing into his fingers. Then, with blinding speed, the rest of the clones disappeared one by one as Sesshomaru systematically gutted them all with a glowing green hand.

"Poison claws," InuYasha shouted helpfully. "Nasty business to get hit by those,"

"They won't stop this," Naruto snarled, holding a glowing sphere of swirling chakra in his hand, approximately the size of a baseball.

Sending his final clone forwards to clear a path, Naruto lept towards Sesshomaru, the Rasengan tightly controlled in his free hand. Sesshomaru sliced through his final clone with a sharp jab, but Naruto ducked over to his vulnerable side and slammed his Rasengan into his chest with a hoarse cry, forcing the chakra forwards with as much force as he could muster.

Where the Kyuubi's chakra came in contact with Sesshomaru, it burned and caught like fire, though Sesshomaru himself didn't catch flame. The force of the blow sent both fighters flying backwards, and a bright light obscured the clearing for a moment.

"What the hell was that?" InuYasha shouted as the light died down.

When it cleared again and he could see, InuYasha watched in awe as Sesshomaru rose from one knee, his armor crumbling from his chest and the upper part of his torso where Naruto had struck, exposed, black and red and bleeding and burnt from contact with Naruto's strange attack. Even as he watched, the bleeding was slowing and the skin was lightening, but the damage had been done. Naruto had marked himself as a dangerous opponent. The logical part of InuYasha's mind knew that Sesshomaru hadn't expected such a fight from the blonde 'ninja', but InuYasha couldn't help but be impressed. Looking across the clearing to Naruto, InuYasha was unsurprised to find Naruto climbing back to his feet, wiping his face clean and panting. The red glow that had surrounded his body earlier was gone, leaving him as exposed as Sesshomaru now stood, minus his armor.

"A ninja, you say." Sesshomaru spoke. "Quite different from those who have crossed my path before."

"Heh," Naruto panted, taking several kunai from his pouch at his hip. "I've never been 'some ninja'…!"

Naruto rushed forwards again, and this time, Sesshomaru parried his blades with a sword that he had swiftly unsheathed from his side. The demon's sheer strength was overpowering, and it took Naruto two hands to deflect the blade enough to swing under it and around Sesshomaru for another attack.

This time, something seemed to be different; the demon was fighting in close combat, never letting Naruto out of the reach of his blade, no matter how far Naruto danced away. Sesshomaru was indeed faster than any opponent he'd ever fought before- and he was beginning to feel the strain of using his chakra, although he knew he hadn't used up his entire store. The Kyuubi had massive reserves, but for some reason, Naruto had the strangest feeling that he was almost disconnected from his chakra coils. The more he used it, the harder it was to call upon it again.

Naruto was sent flying backwards by a massive swing, his left wrist taking most of the force and bending awkwardly; his kunai flying away. He lit the ground with a jarring thud, skidding quite a ways until he managed to get his legs under him again. As he rose to his feet, he spat out the blood that had gathered in his mouth, flipping the blade in his right hand and experimentally rolling his left wrist.

_Definitely a sprain,_ Naruto hissed to himself. _Gotta take it easy-_

A crackling sound caught his attention, and Naruto stared as blue lightning formed along Sesshomaru's blade. _Shit!_ At an almost point-blank range, Naruto knew he was hard pressed to dodge it; but there was little that he could do to get out of the way in time. As Sesshomaru released the pent up lightning, Naruto hurled his kunai for all he was worth, directly at the point of the blade.

The lightning formed a dragon as it rushed towards him, but the kunai had served it's purpose- it had skewed the aim of the attack. _Kyuubi, I just need a bit more,_ Naruto panted, summoning as much chakra as he could to negate the lightning as it ripped into his side, sending him flying through the air. Red chakra seeped from his pores again, keeping the lightning from his skin further- but the damage had already been done. Aftershocks rippled through Naruto's trembling limbs as his shoulder smoked lightly, where the electricity had struck.

"How quaint," Sesshomaru glanced at the kunai embedded hilt-deep in the ground. "You simply managed to dodge a direct hit."

Naruto struggled to rise, but his left side ached fiercely; protesting with a dull pain and the roaring sensation of pins and needles. He couldn't even move the fingers on his left hand. He turned his head in time to see black boots slowly approaching from across the clearing, but his eyesight was fading. _I hit my head harder than I thought. Damn it…_

Itachi placed Kirara on the ground, stepping out of the shadows and over Naruto's body, placing himself between the blonde ninja and the demon lord. Sesshomaru stopped as well, raising an eyebrow in a question.

"This has gone on long enough." Was all Itachi said aloud, but forced his chakra into his eyes, pulling the Sharingan from dormancy and straight into its second form. He had one shot to stop this demon- and Itachi wasn't even sure that Tsukiyomi would work in this world.

"Why do you step between us?" Sesshomaru questioned with a tilt of his head. "Even my foolish half-brother does not intervene."

"His usefulness has yet to expire." Itachi said by means of cryptic explination. Not only was Naruto his ticket home; there was no way he could leave the host of the Kyuubi behind. "You will not touch him again."

"And what makes you think you can do a thing about it, human?" Sesshomaru pinned Itachi with a cold stare, his killer-intent washing over the Uchiha like a breeze on a spring day. In a startling moment of clarity, Itachi realized he was glad he was no stranger to killers.

"It was over for you the minute you looked into my eyes. _Tsukiyomi!"_ Itachi focused his chakra as best as could, circumstances be damned. Three seconds later, the demon collapsed to his knees as various slashes ripped their way across his exposed torso, immediately beginning to seal themselves as bright blood began to seep into his clothes.

A bright blue light shone from Sesshomaru's hip then, slowly spreading to encompass his form, effectively shielding him from view. Right before the light covered his face, Sesshomaru caught Itachi's eyes, and gave a nod- though it was more of a tilt of the head- of acknowledgement. When the blue light had finally cocooned Sesshomaru's form, he disappeared.

"Woooow!" Shippo leapt from his hiding place a millisecond afterwards. "You guys sent Sesshomaru packing! Even dog-breath here couldn't do that!"

"Watch it, runt," InuYasha growled, sheathing his sword and walking over to Itachi and Naruto, at a slightly more sedate pace than the fox-child.

"Hey, hey, will Naruto be okay?" Shippo glanced at Naruto's unconscious form worriedly. Itachi had already turned away, giving InuYasha a blank look before melting into the shadows of the forest.

Kirara trotted over, mewing, sitting at Shippo's side as the fox continued to examine Naruto. InuYasha watched the place where Itachi had disappeared for a moment longer before shooing Shippo and Kirara away, hoisting Naruto over his shoulder.

"You two, go get Kaede-baa-chan. She'll need to patch him up, since Kagome ain't here to do it." He ordered, adjusting the boy with a grunt before heading back towards the village at a leisurely pace.

**tbc.**


	14. The Way Home

**A/N: **And this would be the direct continuation of the previous chapter... It's been a while since we'd seen much at all of the dudes from the IY verse, and I just couldn't get enough of them. Haha. Well, this chapter marks the last of InuYasha for a while... but I certainly hope you all aren't disappointed. This chapter has some more insight into Itachi's relationship and feelings for Kagome... which I know confused a lot of people. Hopefully, this will explain it all.

Without further ado...

* * *

**Piano Man**

**XIV: The Way Home**

**By ancient-relic**

**-::-**

Naruto groaned, pulling himself into an upright position. Light filtered in through the cracks in the reed door, creating warm patterns across his face.

"Where am I?" he rubbed the side of his face, swallowing several times to wet his mouth.

"Already forgotten, have ya?" a voice responded gruffly from the shadows. "It ain't even nightfall yet."

"Ah," Naruto remembered the fight with InuYasha and his brother. "What happened?"

"Your ninja friend, the bastard, just blinked at Sesshomaru and sent him packing." InuYasha scoffed, pushing to his feet and stepping into the light.

"Tsukiyomi," Naruto said in understanding, glancing down at his torso to check for damage.

"You're all patched up," InuYasha said, pausing at the door, sending the warm glow of the setting sun flooding through the room. "Dinner's ready, an' we're waiting for you. Hurry it up."

"I'm healed?" Naruto glanced down at his shoulder curiously, and then flexed his wrist experimentally.

"Demon, remember." InuYasha said. "You're not in ninja-land. Your demon, even if you're a wannabe, is still at the front. So you healed real quick."

Naruto scrambled up to follow InuYasha, and realized that he was only wearing his pants; which were both singed and torn. "Umm," he paused, looking around for something to wear.

"Baa-chan left you hakama over there. There should be some other stuff, too." InuYasha nodded his head towards Kagome's bag, and Naruto saw there was indeed a pile of clothes, some vaguely reminiscent of Kagome's clothes, and some rather feudal-looking.

Naruto searched through the pile quickly, selecting a white tank to wear underneath the formal garb Kaede had left. Shuffling into them, Naruto admired the simple fern print on the sleeves of the top he was struggling to tie closed. Giving up and tucking the ends into the waist of his pants and the pants into his sandals, Naruto scrambled out of the hut and after InuYasha.

"This way," InuYasha called, and Naruto was surprised to find InuYasha perched on the roof of Kaede's hut.

"Seriously?" Naruto glanced up at the thatched roof. "I don't want to break anything."

"Keh," InuYasha scoffed, turning his nose up at him. "Then keep up, kid,"

InuYasha went bounding away, leaving Naruto to follow at a dead sprint. Navigating the turns of the paths was more challenging than he had suspected while trying to keep InuYasha in sight, but less than a few moment later, InuYasha slowed to a stop in front of a hut on the edge of the village. A large fire was burning merrily some ways away, and Naruto could just make out the silhouettes of the rest of Kagome's travelling companions.

As Naruto approached, he found an open seat beside Kaede and Miroku, and gladly accepted the cup noodles that were handed to him.

"Ramen?" Naruto was surprised.

"You eat Kagome's noodles too?" Shippo popped his head around Miroku's shoulder curiously.

"We have them in my world," Naruto managed around a mouthful of the salty noodles. "De-lisch-us." He emphasized, nearly choking.

"All right," Kaede said, glancing at InuYasha, who was wolfing the food down just as eagerly. "I believe we decided on this communal meal for a reason."

"That is correct." Itachi spoke up, placing an empty bowl before him. "I believe I have figured out what has happened, and what must take place for both us and Kagome to return home."

"What?" Naruto slurped the last of his noodles, glancing across the fire to the Uchiha.

"Just listen." Itachi said coldly. "I will fill the gaps in your story. Kagome fell down the well on the Uchiha compound, and appeared in a well outside of Takigakure. Her power was sending out random, uncontrolled bursts in an attempt to heal the damage she had sustained when she fell. Yet because she had remained unconscious for an extended period of time, her body grew much weaker, and her power only succeeded in draining her faster.

A nearby village had reported the strange power, which attracted the attention of the Akatsuki. She was recovered by fellow members Deidara and Hidan. When I discovered it was Kagome, I immediately took care of her injuries. They were extensive."

"So she DID get hurt!" InuYasha pointed accusingly at Itachi, but turned to point at Naruto when the Uchiha leveled a cold glare in his direction.

"It wasn't anyone's fault, dumbass," Naruto snapped. "Shut up and let him finish!"

"Because several of her ribs were damaged, her healing period was tedious. Her power counteracted my chakra, so I was not able to use jutsu to help expedite the process. She managed to escape, unnoticed from the place I had sequestered her while her ribs were on the mend; I suspect she was assisted. She successfully managed to avoid detection- and I tracked her across Fire Country all the way to Wind Country."

"Gaara?" Naruto was surprised. "She made it all that way with injured ribs?"

"It is unknown if she ran into the Kazekage." Itachi replied. "But by the time I had discovered she had made it to Wind Country, I picked up her trail heading back towards Fire Country. I encountered her at the border of Konoha."

"So is she okay?" Naruto asked, glaring at the Uchiha across the flames. "Why didn't you mention this before? Like when you were attacking me, demanding to know where Kagome was?"

"At that time, you were speaking with a clone," Itachi said slowly, closing his eyes as he continued. "I had sent several clones across Fire Country in search of clues. Because Kagome had still been injured, I did not bother to conceal my tracks as well as I should have… when I found her tracks leading towards Fire Country again almost two weeks later, I followed her."

"So what happened?" InuYasha was not demanding, but rather listening carefully. "How were you with Kagome and then here, if you fell through the well?"

"I confronted Kagome and she attacked me. I had realized that the strange power source Naruto held was an important key to returning Kagome, but Kagome was adamant on solving the riddle herself. When she passed the protective barrier surrounding Konoha, I could not follow her further without risking revealing my involvement to the wrong people."

"Like Sasuke," Naruto said slowly, putting the pieces together. "He was frantic, trying to find Kagome."

"Correct. I gathered he felt guilty for her disappearance. When I sensed his approach to Kagome's location, I needed provide Kagome an answer to my appearance without directly telling her. So I attacked her."

"If you hurt her, I'll _kill you."_ InuYasha snarled, jumping to his feet.

"It was necessary." Itachi replied. "I did not trust Kagome to be able to successfully lie to Sasuke. And it was nothing Tsunade-sama herself would not be able to heal. A minor wound to the abdomen."

"_Keh._" InuYasha huffed, sitting again, but his hand now rested on the hilt of his sword.

"I was forced to return to Naruto when I learnt of Kagome's power source, and then I imagine, all my clones were forced to disappear when I traveled through the portal."

"Wow." Was all Naruto managed, "How appropriately _careless_ of you."

Naruto stood up, glaring balefully at Itachi.

"If you cared about Kagome at all, you wouldn't let your issues with Sasuke interfere with that. You put Kagome's health at risk, as well as possibly stranding us here at the mercy of some kind of magic, all because you didn't want Sasuke to catch you there?"

"Your anger is pointless and misdirected." Itachi responded bitingly, rising to his feet to match Naruto. Dangerous power seemed to stretch lazily from Itachi's form, but Naruto wasn't intimidated; the Kyuubi's chakra began to seep, slowly, from his pores, turning his eyes red and whipping his hair and clothes.

"Maybe if you'd stop keeping these important things to _yourself_ and let someone else help for once you'd be able to put all your abilities to good use!" Naruto snapped back, pointing.

"When I meet someone who can keep up with me, perhaps that will become a viable option," Itachi responded. "I don't need a team to slow me down."

"Maybe you should stop underestimating everyone around you!" Naruto shouted. "Did you ever stop to think how great Sasuke could become under your tutelage? Kakashi can't compare- he's not an Uchiha by blood. But you are!"

"And that's _exactly why_ it can't be me." Itachi's voice rose dangerously, but he finished more subdued than he started. "You know nothing, Naruto. Nothing but what has been fed to you. Sasuke's anger was misplaced. I directed it. If I hadn't, he would have followed down the same corrupted path that the rest of my clan did. And it leads only to pain, suffering, and regret."

"And I suppose you're so special? That the same thing didn't happen to you?" Naruto spat. "The precious prodigy child of the Uchiha Clan?"

"No, Naruto." Itachi was unruffled by Naruto's jab. "I was. And it was because my eyes were opened that I was forced to make a choice. I made my choice. And I'm going to stop Sasuke from making the same mistake."

With that, Itachi swept away from the fireside, his Akatsuki cloak swirling around him as he disappeared into the darkening night.

"You guys aren't friends, are you?" Shippo spoke up quietly, turning to look at Naruto, who's eyes were glaring at the spot where Itachi had disappeared. Chest heaving, he glanced down at the young fox.

"No. We're not."

-::-

Itachi was sitting high in the branches of the Goshinboku, staring up at the moonlight that filtered through the leafy boughs. The moonlight was gentle, illuminating the forest with a gentle glow, as opposed to the harsh beams of light that often accompanied him on missions.

Perhaps it was because his Sharingan wasn't activated, giving his eyes time to relax and enjoy the quiet darkness of the night. Perhaps it was because for once, he wasn't living with the past and its mistakes breathing over his shoulder. Perhaps it was because for once, he didn't have to keep a watchful eye on his back.

_Either way,_ Itachi mused, _the moonlight is different here. It is… relaxing._

With a soft sigh, Itachi closed his eyes. Of course, even if he didn't react outwardly to anything that would otherwise throw him off balance, Naruto's callous words still managed to worm their ways past his cleverly crafted defense.

No one knew the truth behind the events of the Uchiha Massacre save the Sandaime, himself, and that other Uchiha. Now, the Sandaime had taken the secret to his grave, leaving Itachi the only true bearer of the secret.

And it was a heavy burden to bear. Itachi didn't believe for one moment that Sasuke was ready to hear the truth- it would shatter his world, and everything he thought true and right. And of course, he would never ever understand the reason behind his older brother's actions either, because of the constant pressure that had been forced upon him.

"_Mew._"

Surprised, Itachi's eyes flew open in time to meet with another pair of bright red eyes in the night, staring at him contemplatively.

"Kirara," Itachi spoke softly.

Kirara began to purr in response, and nimbly walked along the branch overhead until she was directly above him, before hopping down into his lap and settling herself comfortably in his arms. Systematically, he curled his fingers in her fur, scratching gently at her skin and behind her ears and at the base of her tails. The rhythmic motion, combined with the slow, soft rumble of her purring slowly relaxed Itachi's frenzied mind.

_I didn't expect Kagome to forge such relationships._ His mind rebutted against Naruto's accusation. _Perhaps it was selfish of me to think that Kagome's mystery would be mine to solve. That I would be that person in her heart, and not my little brother… _

Itachi felt the stirrings of anger and jealous at the back of his head, and reveled in the emotions for several moments before squashing them down and forcing them away again.

_For all that Sasuke hates me, I doubt he realizes what he has. Foolish little brother…_

Itachi's hand slowed as a wave of drowsiness seemed to wash over him. His eyes were almost closed now, his eyelashes brushing across his cheeks. He was _so tired._ Kirara's purring seemed to increase in volume as he stilled, as if to remind him of his task. With a faint smile, he resumed his petting, letting his eyes slip closed.

Tonight, he would rest.

_Perhaps I should invest in a feline companion of my own._

-::-

Naruto awoke to sunlight streaming across his face for the second time in less than 24 hours. His back was cramped from where he had fallen asleep sitting up against a trunk of a tree, and his legs were asleep and were now locked in their crossed position.

His sleep had been troubled- his words with Itachi running over and over in his mind, building his irritation with the foolish Uchiha. _I swear they all have ego complexes, _he complained, stretching irritably until his back cracked with relish.

_But I think that Kagome has thrown him more out-of-sorts than he would care to admit. And I think that Itachi might even have a crush on little Kagome,_ Naruto mused to himself as he headed towards the sound of running water, further through the trees.

_Jeez, another thing for those bone-headed brothers to fight over. Someone should just sit them down in a room until they talk it all out._

Naruto couldn't suppress a chuckle at the thought of the Uchiha siblings struggling to have a conversation, between all the cold emotionless glares, the 'hn's' and the death threats. His chuckle quickly turned to full blown laughter, and his voice echoed through the forest for a minute when he stopped to catch his breath.

_But I wonder what Itachi meant when he said that I didn't know the real truth. I should talk to Baa-chan about that when we get back. _A chilling thought occurred to him. _If we get back._

Naruto found himself walking along the river he had picked out with his sensitive hearing, and bent to kneel beside it, washing his face with the cool water vigorously. After staring at his reflection for a moment longer, he sat back with a loud sigh.

"I should apologize to Itachi," he said to no one in particular. "This whole thing is a little out of hand. We need to work together if we're going to figure something out."

Naruto fiddled with a pouch as he stared up at the wispy clouds that dotted the bright morning sky. Pulling out the scroll where he hid Kagome's things, he fiddled with it pensively.

"Ahhh, teamwork." He scratched his head. "Kakashi-sensei probably had no idea that situations like this would ever arise when we were doing that bell test."

_I think I'll stay out here a little longer…_ Naruto thought to himself. _That'll give me enough time to come up with some kind of plan, hopefully. And I'm not quite ready to face Itachi just yet._

-::-

"Oi! Kid!"

"What?" Naruto looked up curiously, tucking the last of his things away into his pouch.

"We've got a plan to get you back." InuYasha said, bounding through the trees and coming to a stop beside him atop a large boulder. "Spent the better part of the morning looking for ya. Thought you might've gotten eaten by a bear, or something."

"I could fight off a bear, you know," Naruto scowled, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his haori like he had seen InuYasha do. The half demon hopped down from his perch and walked alongside him as they headed back towards the town.

"Hah, we don't have regular _bears_ here, you know." InuYasha laughed.

Naruto thought back to some of the giant animals he'd been warned about; specifically the giant tigers of the Forest of Death. "Neither do we."

"Well, I guess we'll never get to test it. That ninja friend of yours, the bastard, he's got a plan." InuYasha changed their direction mid step, instead leading away from the village.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, and from what we can tell, it's pretty sound. Don't know why the well let you through, but we figure that combined with the jewel shards and something of Kagome's, it should take you back to her."

"Itachi figured that out?" Naruto was disinclined to trust the Uchiha, but at this point, there wasn't much else to lose.

"He was talkin' with the monk, and that's what they came up with." InuYasha shrugged. "We figure that the more time you're stuck here, the weaker the rift between here and there will get, an' so it'll be harder for you to get back."

"I suppose that makes sense," Naruto wrinkled his nose in concentration.

"Anyways, so they're all waitin' for us. I volunteered to come an' get ya." InuYasha said. "After that girly fight the two of you had, I figured the two of ya would want ta get as far apart as ya could."

"Something like that," Naruto grumbled, slightly embarrassed to have such a relationship-retarded hanyou analyze him. However, Naruto had to grudgingly admit that the hanyou had more than one good quality, and he could understand how Kagome could find them attractive. "But I decided to be the bigger person and apologize."

"Ah, you're sounding like Kagome, now." InuYasha snorted in a semi-wistful manner.

"Say, listen." He continued seriously. "Could you pass this on to her for me?"

From within his sleeves he pulled out a piece of reed paper, folded over several times and sealed with wax. Naruto glanced at it once, and at the hanyou, who was looking away, perhaps in embarrassment.

"Yeah," Naruto said slowly, taking it and tucking it into his pouch. "Sure."

"Thanks," InuYasha clapped him heartily on the back.

As they walked into the clearing, InuYasha cleared his throat. "So make sure to tell her that we're all waiting for her to get back, yeah?"

"Yeah," Naruto smiled wanly, glancing at Itachi, who was standing conversing quietly with Miroku.

"All right, Naruto." The monk strode over to him, and handed him a small book. "This is Lady Kagome's scrapbook. It's a very personal item, so we're entrusting it to you to make sure that you see it safely to her. It's purpose is also two-fold, to help forge a connection between here and there."

"Okay…" Naruto accepted the book, glancing at it curiously.

"You have the jewel shards, correct?"

"Yeah," Naruto patted one of his pouches with his free hand.

"All right. Now, we believe contact is necessary, so Naruto, please put your hand here…" Miroku began, arranging Itachi and Naruto atop the lip of the well. Naruto's right hand was gripping Itachi's forearm, as his left mimicked the position on Naruto's arm. Both of them gripped Kagome's scrapbook.

"Okay. So, you both should jump into the well at the same time, and think of both your world and Kagome. Hopefully, the magic of the well should respond to the thoughts and return you to your rightful location."

"Will you come back to visit, Naruto?" Shippo popped up from seemingly nowhere, perched on Miroku's shoulder.

Unsure, Naruto glanced at Miroku, who simply shook his head. "I don't think so, Shippo. I think it was a misunderstanding… I think the well had intended to bring Kagome home, based on the presence of the shards. But it made a mistake. Now, we need only to correct it."

"Come on, runt," InuYasha grabbed Shippo by the tail, and whisked him away mid-protest. "Later, kid, bastard," he saluted at the two of them with his free hand. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto thought he might have seen Itachi smirk.

"All right, gentlemen. The count of three." Miroku said.

"One,

Two,

Three."

On three, Itachi and Naruto simply stepped into the well, letting themselves fall. Naruto braced himself for impact, forcing himself to loosen his muscles so the force wouldn't rattle his bones. A warm blue light seemed to wrap around them, slowing their descent, and Naruto understood immediately that whatever they had attempted had worked.

Moments later, the same rocky well they had fallen into made itself present around them, and they settled gently on the rocks. Naruto immediately released Itachi, and felt the other ninja do the same.

"This is the end of our truce, Naruto." Itachi said slowly, releasing Kagome's book almost hesitatingly. "The next time we meet, it may be in battle." He turned to leave and return to headquarters, his mind already weaving an excuse for his disappearance.

"Itachi-" Naruto paused, speaking only to stop Itachi from jumping out of the well. "I'm sorry,"

Itachi scrutinized Naruto carefully for a moment, and Naruto was hard-pressed to remember a time where he had felt more nervous to pass such an inspection. After a long moment, Itachi just gave the barest of nods, his eyebrows lifting imperceptibly and his facial expression softening. Then, he gathered chakra beneath his feet and quickly scaled the wall of the well, disappearing over the top with a swish of his cloak.

Naruto stood still for a moment before following Itachi's path up and out of the well, and was wholly unsurprised to find that the other ninja hadn't lingered. With a sigh, Naruto did an about-face and took off at a dead run towards Konoha. It was time he got back to Kagome.

**tbc.**


End file.
